Growth of TiO 2 Single Crystals and Bicrystals by the Laser‐Heated Floating‐Zone Method

TiO 2 bicrystals with controlled misorientation have been grown by a laser‐heated floating‐zone method using a [001] oriented bicrystal seed designed for producing a (210)[001] tilt boundary. The grain boundary and crystal morphology are sensitive to the growth atmosphere, as confirmed by optical and transmission electron microscopies and by the Laue X‐ray back‐reflection method. These observations are discussed with respect to the nonstoichiometry of TiO 2 .