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Related Concept Videos

Imperfections in Crystal Structure: Non-Stoichiometric Defects01:29

Imperfections in Crystal Structure: Non-Stoichiometric Defects

Non-stoichiometric defects refer to a type of defect in the crystal structure of a compound where the ratio of its constituent elements deviates from the ideal stoichiometric ratio. There are two main types of non-stoichiometric defects: metal excess defects and metal deficiency defects.Metal excess defects occur when there is a slight surplus of metal ions than what is required by the stoichiometric ratio of the compound. For example, heating a sodium chloride crystal in sodium vapor results...
Imperfections in Crystal Structure: Stoichiometric Point Defects01:26

Imperfections in Crystal Structure: Stoichiometric Point Defects

Schottky defects arise when some lattice points in a crystal, such as those in NaCl, remain unoccupied, creating lattice vacancies without disturbing the overall electrical neutrality of the crystal. This defect is common in ionic crystals where the positive and negative ions are similar in size, as seen in sodium chloride and cesium chloride. The presence of Schottky defects enables the crystal to conduct electricity to a small extent through an ionic mechanism. Electric fields cause nearby...
Network Covalent Solids02:18

Network Covalent Solids

Network covalent solids contain a three-dimensional network of covalently bonded atoms as found in the crystal structures of nonmetals like diamond, graphite, silicon, and some covalent compounds, such as silicon dioxide (sand) and silicon carbide (carborundum, the abrasive on sandpaper). Many minerals have networks of covalent bonds.
To break or to melt a covalent network solid, covalent bonds must be broken. Because covalent bonds are relatively strong, covalent network solids are typically...
Imperfections in Crystal Structure: Point, Line and Plane Defects01:25

Imperfections in Crystal Structure: Point, Line and Plane Defects

A perfect crystal, in theory, has a uniform structure with the same unit cell and lattice points throughout. However, any deviation from this periodic arrangement is known as an imperfection or defect. These defects can be categorized into three types: point, line, and plane defects.Point defects occur when there is a deviation from the ideal due to missing atoms, displaced atoms, or additional atoms. These imperfections might occur due to imperfect packing during crystallization or because of...
Crystal Field Theory - Octahedral Complexes02:58

Crystal Field Theory - Octahedral Complexes

Crystal Field Theory
To explain the observed behavior of transition metal complexes (such as colors), a model involving electrostatic interactions between the electrons from the ligands and the electrons in the unhybridized d orbitals of the central metal atom has been developed. This electrostatic model is crystal field theory (CFT). It helps to understand, interpret, and predict the colors, magnetic behavior, and some structures of coordination compounds of transition metals.
CFT focuses on...
Symmetry Elements in a Crystal01:27

Symmetry Elements in a Crystal

Crystal symmetry operations are isometric transformations that map objects onto indistinguishable copies while preserving distances, angles, and volumes. The simplest symmetry operation is translation, which shifts the entire infinite crystal lattice parallelly by a translation vector.Crystallographic rotations involve rotations by an angle of 2Ï€/n around an axis without changing the positions of points on the axis. It is called the rotational axis of the symmetry, denoted by n. The combination...

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Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses
08:55

Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses

Published on: June 7, 2018

Coherent interfaces between crystals in nanocrystal composites.

Hongwei Liu1, Zhanfeng Zheng, Dongjiang Yang

  • 1Chemistry, Queensland University of Technology, QLD 4001, Australia.

ACS Nano
|September 9, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Nanocrystals of different phases in materials are not randomly oriented but form coherent interfaces with preferred orientations, regardless of fabrication method. This discovery is crucial for understanding composite nanostructures and material properties.

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Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses
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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Nanotechnology
  • Crystallography

Background:

  • Polycrystalline materials are common, but nanocrystalline materials are often assumed to be random aggregates.
  • Understanding the structure and interfaces of mixed-phase nanocrystal systems is challenging but critical.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the interfacial structure and orientation relationships between nanocrystals of different phases.
  • To determine if preferred orientations and coherent interfaces exist in various nanocrystal systems.
  • To explore the thermodynamic basis and predictability of these interfaces.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of four distinct mixed-phase nanocrystal materials using different approaches.
  • Analysis of nanocrystal interfaces and orientations using transmission electron microscopy (TEM).
  • Application of phase-transformation invariant line strain theory for theoretical prediction.

Main Results:

  • Four different materials consistently showed coherent interfaces with close crystallographic registry between nanocrystals of different phases.
  • Preferred orientations and coherent interfaces were observed irrespective of the fabrication method.
  • Theoretical predictions of orientation and interface structure using phase-transformation invariant line strain theory matched experimental TEM data.

Conclusions:

  • Preferred orientations and coherent interfaces are general features of mixed-phase nanocrystal systems.
  • The thermodynamic stability of these interfaces drives their formation and dictates preferred orientations.
  • The findings enable prediction of interface structures without extensive experimental analysis, aiding material property understanding.