Crystallization of Amorphous Antimony at Room Temperature: Non-Uniqueness of Patterning Route

Abstract

Room-temperature crystallization of ‘explosive’ amorphous antimony was found to exhibit the phenomenon of non-uniqueness: it may spontaneously proceed (in identical samples) either within 27 days or within 67 days to yield crystallites with different preferential orientation. Apparently, this happens due to structural fluctuations in the initial amorphous matter, whereas the formation of different textures is governed by the minimization of surface energy. The phenomenon may turn useful for regulating a structure of Sb compounds in advanced semiconducting materials.