Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Science

Allowing atoms to come and go can open the door to better materials modeling

Most materials, especially metals and ceramics, are crystals. Their atoms are arranged in three-dimensional lattices that repeat the same exact pattern, over and over again. But there's a well-known saying in materials science: "Crystals are like people. It is the defects that tend to make them inte...

Allowing atoms to come and go can open the door to better materials modeling
Image: Phys.org
Most materials, especially metals and ceramics, are crystals. Their atoms are arranged in three-dimensional lattices that repeat the same exact pattern, over and over again. But there's a well-known saying in materials science: "Crystals are like people. It is the defects that tend to make them interesting."

Originally published at Phys.org

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