An anticrystal is a theoretical solid that is completely disordered, making it the opposite of a

crystal A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...

. The mechanical properties of even a slightly disordered solid can have more in common with an anticrystal than with a crystal. All naturally occurring crystals contain disordered areas (defects). Scientific descriptions typically assume a perfect crystal, extrapolating from that point based on defect prevalence. However, given sufficient defects, extrapolation from perfect crystals fails.

Amorphous In condensed matter physics and materials science, an amorphous solid (or non-crystalline solid, glassy solid) is a solid that lacks the long-range order that is characteristic of a crystal. Etymology The term comes from the Greek ''a'' ("wi ...

materials may display regions with atoms in repeating patterns, but without crystalline order. This means that their properties cannot be inferred from those of a perfect crystal. The

phase transition In chemistry, thermodynamics, and other related fields, a phase transition (or phase change) is the physical process of transition between one state of a medium and another. Commonly the term is used to refer to changes among the basic states of ...

that occurs when a fluid becomes a disordered solid under pressure is called the jamming transition. Phase transitions occur when a liquid becomes a solid or a gas. Another way of producing a solid is by putting atoms, molecules or larger particles together under high pressure. Extrapolations from the jamming transition showed that even fairly orderly materials exhibited behaviors closer to those of the anticrystal than a perfect crystal. Anticrystal principles can also provide insight into crystalline materials. For example, strengthening metal

alloy An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which at least one is a metal. Unlike chemical compounds with metallic bases, an alloy will retain all the properties of a metal in the resulting material, such as electrical conductivity, ductility, ...

s often involves shrinking their crystalline areas, such that their behaviors are better described by anticrystals.

References

{{reflist Crystals