Floating zone growth of lithium iron (II) phosphate single crystals

LiFePO4 single crystals were grown using optical floating zone technique. High quality crystals sized up to φ5×70 mm can be obtained by applying a growth rate of 2 followed by 4 mm/h in an argon flow atmosphere. The single crystals exhibit blackish green color after cleaving from the as-grown ingot. DTA/TG and high temperature optical microscope measurements indicate that the compound melts incongruently. The study of XRD shows the orthorhombic structure of the crystals.