1. MME 211 – Crystallography and
Structure of Materials
2. What is structure?
Electronic structure
electrons and nuclei (protons and neutrons)
Atomic structure
organization of atoms or molecules
Crystal structure
organisation of atoms into a 3D space
Microscopic structure
groups of atoms that are normally agglomerated together
Macroscopic structure
viewable with the un-aided eye
3. Core Course – MME 211
• Structure of materials is at the heart of materials
science
• Without understanding structure you can never
be a good materials scientist
• Crystallography is the means with which we
determine and understand the crystal structure
of materials
4. How are atoms arranged in a solid?
• Atoms in solids can
arrange in regular
patterns with definite
order – these are called
crystalline solids
• Some solids do not
show long range order
– these are called
amorphous solids
ordered and disordered form of silica
7. Structure answers a lot of questions
Diamond is hard, graphite is not – why?
What allows YBCO to superconduct?
Why is aluminium more ductile than zinc?
Why is BaTiO3 suitable for memory devices?
What makes GaN suitable for motion sensors?
8. Tentative outline of the course
• Introduction to the course
• Nomenclature related to crystallography
• Lattices in 2D and 3D
• Concept and importance of symmetry
• 2D point groups and plane groups
• 3D point groups and space groups
• Reciprocal lattice and related topics
• Experimental determination of crystal structure
• Structure of different metals and ceramics
• Structure of polymers and amorphous materials
