amorphous solid

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Figure 1: The state of atomic motion.

Figure 2: The atomic arrangements in (A) a crystalline solid, (B) an amorphous solid, and (C) a gas.

Figure 3: The two general cooling paths by which a group of atoms can condense. Route 1 is the path to the crystalline state; route 2 is the rapid-quench path to the amorphous solid state.

Figure 7: Two basic models for the atomic-scale structure of amorphous solids.

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amorphous solid: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	noncrystalline solid • amorphous material • amorphous substance • noncrystalline material

Photos and Videos

Figure 1: The state of atomic motion.

Figure 2: The atomic arrangements in (A) a crystalline solid, (B) an amorphous solid, and (C) a gas.

Figure 3: The two general cooling paths by which a group of atoms can condense. Route 1 is the path to the crystalline state; route 2 is the rapid-quench path to the amorphous solid state.

Figure 7: Two basic models for the atomic-scale structure of amorphous solids.

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Topics

plastic random-coil model vitreous state glass transition radial distribution function random close-packing model continuous random-network model glass solid solution omission solid solution crystal quasicrystal elasticity hole adsorption permeability surface grain corrosion

Key People

Sir Nevill F. Mott at the ceremony with his Nobel Prize for Physics, 1977.

Sir Nevill F. Mott

British physicist

John H. Van Vleck

American physicist

Bertram Eugene Warren

American crystallographer