Aluminum
hydroxide was crystallized in a sodium aluminate solution
as bayerite at room temperature. Primary particles appeared as conical
pyramids. They were born on particles of α-Al2O3 which had been preformed on a surface of FeCrAl alloy mesh
as a result of its annealing. The primary nucleation was discussed
using a two-step model that consists of a formation of prenucleation
clusters and their transformation into nuclei. The induction period
is an inversely proportional function to a square of the substrate
surface and depends on its nature. Stirring the solution affected
the primary nucleation preventing the formation of the prenucleation
clusters. At an early stage, in a supersaturated state, the lateral
surface of the primary pyramids grew via filling kink sites and forming
the secondary pyramids. The secondary pyramids appeared from the prenucleation
clusters. The pyramid base grew by a screw mechanism with an unwinding
spiral. When a supersaturate degree of the solution decreased, the
lateral surface grew by filling kink sites only, whereas the screw
mechanism transformed into a usual modification of the screw mechanism
with the shrinking spiral. The change in the growth mechanism transformed
the primary cone-shaped particles into the final needle-shape particles.
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