Effects of grinding on certain crystalline structures

The effects of grinding on certain crystalline substances (ZnO, ZnS, Sb), have been studied using X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy. The treatments were carried out using a vibrating mill which involves a higher energy than more conventional equipment such as ball-mills. Various methods have been proposed for determining the width of the intrinsic profile (β). In the case of zinc oxide it has been shown possible to differentiate the respective contributions of the fragmentation effects and of lattice deformation effects to the overall effects of the grinding. For the two types of zinc sulfide (blend and Wurtzite) it has been shown that the blend-wurtzite) transition point is very much decreased, and that the rate of transformation of wurtzite into the stable form (blend) at room temperature is considerably increased by the grinding. In the case of antimony, the method of fragmentation shows the existence of an anisotropy which appears to be connected with easily cleavable planes. These observations show that in the case of grinding carried out with sufficient energy, the accumulation of this energy in the matter through the creation of lattice defects can accelerate the reaction rate or bring about physical transformations. (author)