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Structure of Solids
Outline
Packing of atoms in crystals: FCC, HCP and
BCC crystals, stacking sequence
Close packed planes and directions, Packing
fraction
Voids in solids: tetrahedral and octahedral
voids
Implications of voids
Solids
Crystalline
Long-range periodicity
Gives sharp
diffraction patterns
Has sharp melting point
Has higher density
Noncrystalline
No long-range periodicity
Does not give sharp
diffraction patterns
Does not have a sharp
melting point
Has a lower density
Peak Broadening
COVALENT
IONIC
Metallic crystals
Positive ions in a free electron cloud
Metallic bonds are non-directional
Each atoms tends to surround itself with as many
neighbours as possible!
Usually high temperature BCC (Open structure)
The partial covalent character of transition metals is a
possible reason for many of them having the BCC
structure at low temperatures
FCC
BCC Li, Na, K , Ti, Zr, Hf, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Fe
(below 910C),
HCP
Some facts
CCP and HCP crystals are close packed crystals (packing
fraction of 0.74): They have close packed planes and
directions
Close-packed directions?
A
C
B
A
B
A
Third layer A or C
C
B
A
C
C
B
B
A
Second layer B
C
B
A
C
B
A
A
C
B
A
C
B
A
C
C
B
B
A
C
B
A
C
B
A
11
ABCABC stacking
= CCP crystal
= FCC lattice + single atom motif 000
12
Close packed planes in the FCC unit cell of cubic close packed crystal
Body
diagonal
A
C
A
Close packed planes: {1 1 1}
13
Stacking sequence?
14
Stacking sequence?
15
HCP
+
HCP
Courtesy: A. Subramanium
Hexagonal Lattice
HCP crystal
+
Motif
As we have seen that HCP crystal is constructed starting with a hexgonal close packed layer,
with ABABAB.. packing.
The 6-fold axis (present in a single layer) is lost on ABABAB.. packing and only a 3-fold remains.
Though 3 unit cells are often shown in diagrams- the rhombic prism (blue outline) is the unit cell.
Courtesy: A. Subramanium
Atoms: (0,0,0), (, ,)
Courtesy: A. Subramanium
b=a
A
=120
C
C
B
B
A
C
B
A
C
B
A
000
x
Lattice: Simple hexagonal
hcp lattice
If the HCP crystal has only a 3-fold axis why does it come
under the Hexagonal class of crystals?
Courtesy: A. Subramanium