The growth rates of KDP crystals in solutions with potassium permanganate additives

Abstract We have found that growth of the {101} faces of a KDP (KH 2 PO 4 ) crystal is suppressed, and the growth rate of the {100} faces passes through the maximum with increasing addition of KMnO 4 to a solution with pH=4.7. We have concluded that the [MnH 2 PO 4 ] 2+ complex and MnO 2 particles affect the growth kinetics. The X-ray and electronic paramagnetic resonance data show that manganese is incorporated into the crystal in the form of Mn 3+ and Mn 4+ . The local excess of a positive charge in the area with incorporated [MnH 2 PO 4 ] 2+ complex can be compensated by the shift of the hydrogen atoms in the KDP structure.