The Structure of

Crystalline Solids
Prepared by: engr. Kathleen A. Ranay
Polycrystalline, single
crystal and
Non crystalline
Materials
 SINGLE CRYSTALS
 For a crystalline solid, when the periodic and
repeated arrangement of atoms is perfect or
extends throughout the entirety of the specimen
without interruption, the result is a single crystal.

Single crystals exist in nature, but they may also be produced artificially.
They are ordinarily difficult to grow, because the environment must be carefully
controlled.
If the extremities of a single crystal are permitted to grow without any external
constraint, the crystal will assume a regular geometric shape having flat faces,
as with some of the gem stones; the shape is indicative
of the crystal structure.
Within the past few years, single crystals have become
extremely important in many of our modern
technologies, in particular electronic microcircuits,
which employ single crystals of silicon and other
semiconductors.
 POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIALS

• Most crystalline solids are composed of a collection of

many small crystals or grains;
• such materials are termed polycrystalline
• there exists some atomic mismatch within the region
• where two grains meet; this area, called a grain
boundary,
POLYCRYSTALLINE MATERIALS

Polycrystalline material – Aggregate of several crystals

or Grains
The boundary between the grain is the grain boundary
across which the orientation of the crystal changes.
The point at which three boundaries meet is called the
triple junction. Triple Junction
 ANISOTROPY

• Anisotropy
• The physical properties of single crystals of some substances
depend on the crystallographic direction in which
measurements are taken. For example, the elastic modulus,
the electrical conductivity, and the index of refraction may
have different values in the [100] and [111] directions. This
directionality of properties is termed anisotropy, and it is
associated with the variance of atomic or ionic spacing with
crystallographic direction.
• Substances in which measured properties are independent of
the direction of measurement are isotropic.
X-RAY DIFFRACTION: DETERMINATION
OF
CRYSTAL STRUCTURES

• The Diffraction Phenomenon

• Diffraction occurs when a wave encounters a series of
regularly spaced obstacles that (1) are capable of
scattering the wave, and (2) have spacings that are
comparable in magnitude to the wavelength.
• This is a manifestation of diffraction, and we refer to a
diffracted beam as one composed of a large number of
scattered waves that mutually reinforce one another.
• Other phase relationships are possible between
scattered waves that will not lead to this mutual
reinforcement. The other extreme is that demonstrated
below, wherein the path length difference after
scattering is some integral number of half wavelengths.
The scattered waves are out of phase—that is,
corresponding amplitudes cancel or annul one another,
or destructively interfere
X-Ray Diffraction and Bragg’s Law

• X-rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation that have

high energies and short wavelengths—wavelengths on
the order of the atomic spacings for solids.
 Bragg’s Law

• Diffractometer is an apparatus used to determine the

angles at which diffraction occurs for powdered
specimens.
 LINEAR AND
PLANAR
DENSITIES (cont.)
Prepared by: Engr. Kathleen a. ranay
 Linear Density
Number of atoms
Linear Density of Atoms  LD =
Unit length of direction vector
[110]
ex: linear density of Al in [110]
direction
a = 0.405 nm

# atoms
a
2
LD = = 3.5 nm -1
Adapted from
Fig. 3.1(a), length 2a
Callister & Rethwisch
8e.
P 3.53 (A): LINEAR DENSITY FOR BCC

Calculate the linear density for the

following directions in terms of R:
a. [100]
b. [110]
c. [111]
 PLANAR DENSITY OF (100) IRON
Solution: At T < 912ºC iron has the BCC structure.
2D repeat unit

(100) 4 3
a= R
3

Adapted from Fig. 3.2(c), Callister & Rethwisch 8e. Radius of iron R = 0.1241 nm
atoms
2D repeat unit 1
1 atoms atoms
Planar Density = = = 12.1 = 1.2 x 10 19
2
area a2 4 3 nm2 m2
R
2D repeat unit 3
18
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