Researchers discover why atoms in solids show a preference for certain structures
Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - 09:35
in Physics & Chemistry
(PhysOrg.com) -- Nature likes some symmetries, but dislikes others. Ordered solids often display a so-called 6-fold rotation symmetry. To achieve this kind of symmetry, the atoms in a plane surround themselves with six neighbours in an arrangement similar to that found in honeycombs. As opposed to this, ordered materials with 7-fold, 9-fold or 11-fold symmetries are never observed in nature.