Effect of Zn doping on crystal growth and structure of the pseudo-ladder compound CaCu2O3

Large single crystals of Ca(Cu1−xZnx)2O3 (x=0, 0.035, 0.07, 0.14) have been grown by the traveling solvent floating zone (TSFZ) method. Appropriate growth atmosphere (5 bar oxygen) and CuO-poor starting composition to form solvent are found to be crucially important for successful crystal growth. Lower Zn content (x=0.035, 0.07) promotes the phase formation and stability of the melt zone during the growth. Grown crystals were characterized by polarized optical microscopy, energy-dispersive analysis of X-rays (EDAX), thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), Laue back-scattering photography, and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods.