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Metallic Solids

Metallic Solids

Metallic solids such as crystals of copper, aluminum, and iron are formed by metal atoms. The structure of metallic crystals is often described as a uniform distribution of atomic nuclei within a “sea” of delocalized electrons. The atoms within such a metallic solid are held together by a unique force known as metallic bonding that gives rise to many useful and varied bulk properties.
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and...

Ionic Crystal Structures

Ionic Crystal Structures

Ionic crystals consist of two or more different kinds of ions that usually have different sizes. The packing of these ions into a crystal structure is more complex than the packing of metal atoms that are the same size.
Most monatomic ions behave as charged spheres, and their attraction for ions of opposite charge is the same in every direction. Consequently, stable structures for ionic compounds result (1) when ions of one charge are surrounded by as many ions as possible of the opposite...

Coordination Number and Geometry

Coordination Number and Geometry

For transition metal complexes, the coordination number determines the geometry around the central metal ion. Table 1 compares coordination numbers to molecular geometry. The most common structures of the complexes in coordination compounds are octahedral, tetrahedral, and square planar.

Structural Isomerism

Structural Isomerism

Isomerism in Complexes
Isomers are different chemical species that have the same chemical formula. Structural isomerism of coordination compounds can be divided into two subcategories, the linkage isomers and coordination-sphere isomers.
Linkage isomers occur when the coordination compound contains a ligand that can bind to the transition metal center through two different atoms. For example, the CN− ligand can bind through the carbon atom or through the nitrogen atom. Similarly,...

Coordination Compounds and Nomenclature

Coordination Compounds and Nomenclature

In most main group element compounds, the valence electrons of the isolated atoms combine to form chemical bonds that satisfy the octet rule. For instance, the four valence electrons of carbon overlap with electrons from four hydrogen atoms to form CH4. The one valence electron leaves sodium and adds to the seven valence electrons of chlorine to form the ionic formula unit NaCl (Figure 1a). Transition metals do not normally bond in this fashion. They primarily form coordinate covalent bonds, a...

Valence Bond Theory

Valence Bond Theory

Coordination compounds and complexes exhibit different colors, geometries, and magnetic behavior, depending on the metal atom/ion and ligands from which they are composed. In an attempt to explain the bonding and structure of coordination complexes, Linus Pauling proposed the valence bond theory, or VBT, using the concepts of hybridization and the overlapping of the atomic orbitals. According to VBT, the central metal atom or ion (Lewis acid) hybridizes to provide empty orbitals of suitable...

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Gyroid Nickel Nanostructures from Diblock Copolymer Supramolecules

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Structure of decagonal Al-Ni-Rh.

Dmitry Logvinovich¹, Arkadiy Simonov¹, Walter Steurer¹

¹Laboratory of Crystallography, Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Strasse 10, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.

Acta Crystallographica Section B, Structural Science, Crystal Engineering and Materials

|August 1, 2014

Summary

Researchers analyzed the crystal structure of the decagonal aluminum-nickel-rhodium (d-Al-Ni-Rh) phase. The structure features a quasiperiodic arrangement of overlapping decagonal and pentagonal columnar clusters.

Keywords:

decagonal phase embedding approach quasiperiodic packing

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Area of Science:

Materials Science
Crystallography
Solid-State Physics

Background:

Quasicrystals, such as the decagonal phase in Al-Ni-Rh, exhibit unique atomic arrangements with long-range order but no translational periodicity.
Understanding the complex structure of quasicrystals is crucial for their potential applications in various fields.

Purpose of the Study:

To determine the precise crystal structure of the decagonal Al-Ni-Rh phase.
To elucidate the atomic packing principles governing this quasicrystalline material.

Main Methods:

Single-crystal synchrotron X-ray diffraction was employed to collect high-resolution data.
A five-dimensional (5D) embedding approach was utilized for structure analysis.

Main Results:

The decagonal Al-Ni-Rh phase was characterized as a quasiperiodic packing of columnar clusters.
These clusters, approximately 21 Å in diameter, exhibit pentagonal and decagonal symmetry.
A period of approximately 4 Å along the tenfold axis was identified, consistent with quasicrystalline order.

Conclusions:

The study provides a detailed structural model for the d-Al-Ni-Rh quasicrystal.
The findings confirm the quasiperiodic nature of the structure, based on specific columnar cluster arrangements.