Morphological control of zinc tricarbohydrazide perchlorate crystals: Theoretical and experimental study

Abstract

The theoretical crystal-morphology of zinc tricarbohydrazide perchlorate (ZnCP) was studied using the morphology simulation software. The growth trends and surface characteristics were calculated using the Bravais-Friedel-Donnay-Harker (BFDH), Growth Morphology, and Equilibrium Morphology methods; these provide theoretical guidance for the choice of crystal-control reagents. On the basis of the simulations, experiments were carried out to study the effects of five different crystal-control reagents, including carboxymethylcellulose (A), polyacrylamide (B), dextrin (C), Tween 40 (D), and Tween 60 (E), in the control of the crystal-morphology of ZnCP. Mixtures of two reagents and higher temperatures were used to further optimize the ZnCP crystals. The results show that ZnCP crystals are well dispersed, and have a large apparent density and regular crystal-morphology under the control of a mixture of reagents A and E in a mass ratio of 1:4 at 80°C. © 2013 The Author(s).