Study of the Effect of Supersaturation Changes on the Growth of {100} KDP Crystal Faces

This study investigates the growth of {100} KDP crystal faces under varying supersaturation conditions of 6.2-14.7%. The findings indicate that the positions of growth rate maxima differ between experiments where supersaturation increases or decreases, with higher rates associated with decreasing supersaturation. Surface analysis via SEM and AFM revealed that higher supersaturation resulted in greater roughness. The growth rate on supersaturation dependence R(σ) for both types of experiments was best described by parabolic and power law models, indicating spiral growth. A significant percentage of crystal faces exhibited an exponent n > 2, suggesting the relevance of the multiple nucleation model. Additional analysis excluded the suggested model in favor of the polynuclear model. No significant difference was found between the arithmetic means of n values for both types of experiments, suggesting that for the investigated supersaturation range, the growth mechanism of {100} KDP crystal faces is independent of growth history.