Concepts
Crystal Structure
Citation Formats
General Reference
APA Style
BibTeX
Crystal structure is the ordered, repeating three-dimensional arrangement of atoms, ions or molecules that defines a crystalline solid, described by a unit cell and the symmetry with which it repeats through space. X-ray diffraction, developed by Max von Laue and William Henry and William Lawrence Bragg from 1912, made it possible to determine a real material's crystal structure directly, and materials science relies on that structure, together with the defects that interrupt it, to explain a material's mechanical, electrical and optical properties.
Facts
Element Facts
Discovery YearSourced to the subject's own accountVon Laue's 1912 observation of X-ray diffraction confirmed the method; the Braggs developed Bragg's law determining crystal structure the same year, continuing into 1913. Discovered BySourced to the subject's own accountMax von Laue; William Henry Bragg and William Lawrence Bragg 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Sources
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.