Amorphous short-range ordering

The short-range order in a material is important in determining optoelectronic properties. For instance, x-ray and electron diffraction experiments performed on amorphous siHcon (i -Si) and germanium (a-Ge) have revealed that the nearest neighbor environments are approximately the same as those found in their crystalline counterparts (6) photoemission experiments performed on i -Si show that the DOS in valence and conduction bands are virtually identical to the corresponding crystal with the exception that the singularities (associated with periodicity) present in the latter are smeared out in the former. 

A crystalline solid is a solid in which the atoms, ions, or molecules lie in an orderly array (Fig. 5.16). A crystalline solid has long-range order. An amorphous solid is one in which the atoms, ions, or molecules lie in a random jumble, as in butter, rubber, and glass (Fig. 5.17). An amorphous solid has a structure like that of a frozen instant in the life of a liquid, with only short-range order. Crystalline solids typically have flat, well-defined planar surfaces called crystal faces, which lie at definite angles to one another. These faces are formed by orderly layers of atoms (Box 5.1). Amorphous solids do not have well-defined faces unless they have been molded or cut. 

Golan Y, Ter-Ovanesyan E, Manassen Y, Margulis L, Hodes G, Rubinstein I, BitheU EG, Hutchison JL (1996) Electrodeposited quantum dots IV. Epitaxial short-range order in amorphous semiconductor nanostructures. Surf Sci 350 277-284... 

Anhydrous alumina can have a variety of structures, from an entirely disordered one (truly amorphous), through short-range ordered amorphous, to highly ordered in a tetrahedral or octahedral arrangement (y,y -or a-alumina) [cf. Section IV(3)]. 

On considering more amorphous systems, having only short-range order, X-ray diffraction is not a suitable probe. Instead, a form of X-ray absorption can provide invaluable information on the local structure around the atoms in a surface layer. 

In contrast to crystalline solids characterized by translational symmetry, the vibrational properties of liquid or amorphous materials are not easily described. There is no firm theoretical interpretation of the heat capacity of liquids and glasses since these non-crystalline states lack a periodic lattice. While this lack of long-range order distinguishes liquids from solids, short-range order, on the other hand, distinguishes a liquid from a gas. Overall, the vibrational density of state of a liquid or a glass is more diffuse, but is still expected to show the main characteristics of the vibrational density of states of a crystalline compound. 

Micro-XRD confirms that secondary phases are generally aggregates of micro-or nano-scale crystallites, or in some cases amorphous or short-range ordered. Arsenic-mineral associations within... 

Packing efficiency can also be described by the extent of short-range order in the amorphous state. Mitchell has shown through X-ray scattering studies that, while the local molecular organization of noncrystalline polymers is random, in many cases, there are additional correlations that do not perturb the chain trajectory but will impact polymer properties.15 These correlations have a limited spatial range (<50A) but will have a particular impact on bulk properties... 

Traditionally, X-ray absorption edge measurements have been used to determine oxidation states of metals in complex materials. The extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), on the other hand, provides structural information such as bond distances and coordination numbers even with powdered samples, crystalline or amorphous, the fine structure essentially resulting from short-range order around the absorbing atom. The technique is also useful for studying solid surfaces (SEXAFS). The observation of fine structure beyond the K-absorption edges of materials dates back to... 

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