Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Structures of Solids02:22

Structures of Solids

16.6K
Solids in which the atoms, ions, or molecules are arranged in a definite repeating pattern are known as crystalline solids. Metals and ionic compounds typically form ordered, crystalline solids. A crystalline solid has a precise melting temperature because each atom or molecule of the same type is held in place with the same forces or energy. Amorphous solids or non-crystalline solids (or, sometimes, glasses) which lack an ordered internal structure and are randomly arranged. Substances that...
16.6K
X-ray Crystallography02:18

X-ray Crystallography

24.9K
The size of the unit cell and the arrangement of atoms in a crystal may be determined from measurements of the diffraction of X-rays by the crystal, termed X-ray crystallography.
Diffraction
Diffraction is the change in the direction of travel experienced by an electromagnetic wave when it encounters a physical barrier whose dimensions are comparable to those of the wavelength of the light. X-rays are electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths about as long as the distance between neighboring...
24.9K
Metallic Solids02:37

Metallic Solids

19.9K
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 malleability....
19.9K
Polymer Classification: Crystallinity01:21

Polymer Classification: Crystallinity

3.5K
Unlike ionic or small covalent molecules, polymers do not form crystalline solids due to the diffusion limitations of their long-chain structures. However, polymers contain microscopic crystalline domains separated by amorphous domains.
Crystalline domains are the regions where polymer chains are aligned in an orderly manner and held together in proximity by intermolecular forces. For example, chains in the crystalline domains of polyethylene and nylon are bound together by van der Waals...
3.5K
Ionic Crystal Structures02:42

Ionic Crystal Structures

16.0K
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...
16.0K
Lattice Centering and Coordination Number02:33

Lattice Centering and Coordination Number

10.6K
The structure of a crystalline solid, whether a metal or not, is best described by considering its simplest repeating unit, which is referred to as its unit cell. The unit cell consists of lattice points that represent the locations of atoms or ions. The entire structure then consists of this unit cell repeating in three dimensions. The three different types of unit cells present in the cubic lattice are illustrated in Figure 1.
Types of Unit Cells
Imagine taking a large number of identical...
10.6K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Methanol Clipping Modification on Liquid Metal Surface Enhances Photothermal Performance and Biocompatibility.

Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)·2026
Same author

FGO-SLAM++: Real-time Geometry-Aware Gaussian SLAM with Continuous Opacity Field.

IEEE transactions on visualization and computer graphics·2026
Same author

Thermally stable 2D YMnO<sub>3</sub> enabling blue visible camouflage with mid-infrared transparency.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

High Pressure Synthesis of Ultrasmall Nanodiamonds with Nitrogen Vacancy Centers.

Nano letters·2026
Same author

Integrating Field Screening and Molecular Diagnostics to Assess Yellow Mosaic Disease Resistance in Selected Mungbean Varieties.

Current microbiology·2026
Same author

Total-Body Dynamic PET/CT Imaging of Proton-Induced Activity and Biologic Washout After Proton Therapy.

Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 10, 2025

Construction and Systematical Symmetric Studies of a Series of Supramolecular Clusters with Binary or Ternary Ammonium Triphenylacetates
06:35

Construction and Systematical Symmetric Studies of a Series of Supramolecular Clusters with Binary or Ternary Ammonium Triphenylacetates

Published on: February 15, 2016

8.3K

Determining the three-dimensional atomic structure of an amorphous solid.

Yao Yang1, Jihan Zhou1,2, Fan Zhu1

  • 1Department of Physics & Astronomy, STROBE NSF Science & Technology Center and California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Nature
|April 1, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed atomic electron tomography to reveal the 3D atomic structure of amorphous solids. This method identified crystal-like clusters, offering new insights into non-crystalline materials.

More Related Videos

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

8.7K
Atomic Scale Structural Studies of Macromolecular Assemblies by Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
14:55

Atomic Scale Structural Studies of Macromolecular Assemblies by Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Published on: September 17, 2017

15.7K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Nov 10, 2025

Construction and Systematical Symmetric Studies of a Series of Supramolecular Clusters with Binary or Ternary Ammonium Triphenylacetates
06:35

Construction and Systematical Symmetric Studies of a Series of Supramolecular Clusters with Binary or Ternary Ammonium Triphenylacetates

Published on: February 15, 2016

8.3K
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

8.7K
Atomic Scale Structural Studies of Macromolecular Assemblies by Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
14:55

Atomic Scale Structural Studies of Macromolecular Assemblies by Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Published on: September 17, 2017

15.7K

Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Nanotechnology

Background:

  • Amorphous solids like glass and plastics are vital in technology but their 3D atomic structure remains experimentally undetermined due to lack of long-range order.
  • Understanding atomic arrangements is crucial for optimizing material properties and applications in telecommunications, electronics, and solar cells.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To experimentally determine the three-dimensional (3D) atomic positions within amorphous solids.
  • To quantitatively characterize the short- and medium-range order in the 3D atomic arrangement of amorphous materials.

Main Methods:

  • Development of an atomic electron tomography reconstruction method.
  • Application of the method to a multi-component glass-forming alloy as a proof of principle.

Main Results:

  • Successfully determined the 3D atomic positions in an amorphous solid.
  • Observed that short-range order structures connect to form crystal-like superclusters, creating medium-range order.
  • Identified four types of crystal-like medium-range order (FCC, HCP, BCC, SC) with translational but not orientational order.

Conclusions:

  • The findings provide direct experimental evidence supporting the efficient cluster packing model for metallic glasses.
  • This technique is expected to enable 3D structure determination for various amorphous solids, advancing the understanding of non-crystalline materials.