Metastable PbO crystal grown through alcohol-thermal process

An alcohol-thermal route has been developed to the growth of single crystals of yellow metastable PbO in largest dimensions of 11×1×0.1 mm3, using freshly synthesized β-PbO crystallites as seeds. The transformation of metastable β-PbO to stable form (α-PbO) can be slowed down by choosing appropriate solvent as the growth medium. The obtained β-PbO crystals have a strong orientational growth parallel to the (0 0 1) plane and exhibit a lath shape. Studies found that cooling rate and NaOH concentration also have great influence on the crystallographic forms of the final products during the alcohol-thermal process.