Surface Energy Anisotropy of SrTiO3 at 1400°C in Air

Geometric and crystallographic measurements of grainboundary thermal grooves and surface faceting behavior as a function of orientation have been used to determine the surface energy anisotropy of SrTiO3 at 1400°C in air. Under these conditions, thermal grooves are formed by surface diffusion. The surface energy anisotropy was determined using the capillarity vector reconstruction method under the assumption that Herring’s local equilibrium condition holds at the groove root. The results indicate that the (100) surface has the minimum energy. For surfaces inclined between 0° and 30° from (100), the energy increases with the inclination angle. Orientations inclined by more than 30° from (100) are all about 10% higher in energy and, within experimental uncertainty, energetically equivalent. A procedure for estimating the uncertainties in the reconstructed energies is also introduced. Taken together, the orientation dependence of the surfacefacet formation and the measured energy anisotropy lead to the conclusion that the equilibrium crystal shape is dominated by {100}, but also includes {110} and {111} facets. Complex planes within about 15° of {100} and 5° of {110} are also part of the equilibrium shape.