Crystalline

Structure of solids
SOLIDS

Solids are again classified in to two types

Crystalline
Non-Crystalline (Amorphous)
WHAT IS A CRYSTALLINE SOLID?

A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material, whose constituent atoms,

molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all
three spatial dimensions.

So a crystal is characterized by regular arrangement of atoms or molecules

EXAMPLES !
Non-Metallic crystals:
Ice, Carbon, Diamond, Nacl, Kcl etc…

Metallic Crystals:
Copper, Silver, Aluminium, Tungsten, Magnesium etc…
CRYSTALLINE SOLID
SINGLE CRYSTAL

Single Crystal example

AMORPHOUS SOLID
Amorphous (Non-crystalline) Solid is composed of randomly orientated atoms , ions,
or molecules that do not form defined patterns or lattice structures.

Amorphous materials have order only within a few atomic or moleculardimensions(within

the particular grains).

Amorphous materials do not have any long-range order, but they have varying
degrees of short-range order.

Examples to amorphous materials include amorphous silicon, plastics, and

glasses.

Amorphous silicon can be used in solar cells and thin film transistors.
Non-crystalline
Some of the properties of crystalline solids depend on the crystal structure of the material,
the manner in which atoms, ions, or molecules are spatially arranged.
Space Lattic e : A
space lattice can be
defined as a three
dimensional array of
points, each of which
has identical
surroundings.
Crystal Structure :A set of atoms positioned at
lattice points is termed a basis or pattern.
When the basis is repeated in three
dimensions, i.e, space lattice, it forms the
crystal structure.
 Now Crystal structure !!

Crystal structure can be obtained by attaching atoms, groups of atoms or

molecules which are called basis (motif) to the lattice sides of the lattice
point.

Crystal lattice + basis = Crystal structure

Unit cell: Small
repeating entity
of the atomic
structure.
The basic
building block of
the crystal
structure.
It defines the
entire crystal
structure with
the atom
positions within.
Co-ordination Number (CN)
It is Defined as the number of immediate numbers of atom
or ion is surrounded with or touching atoms around it in a
crystal structure
 Atomic Packing Factor (APF)
It is the ratio of the volume of the atoms in a given unit cell to the
total volume of the unit cell.
It determines the density of the packing of atoms in a given cell and
the properties of crystal structure.
Body Centered Cubic Structure (BCC)