Structural Properties of Condensed Matter

Condensed phases of matter—crystals, glasses, quasicrystals and layered assemblies—derive their macroscopic behaviours from the arrangement and bonding of atoms, ions or molecules on length scales from ångströms to micrometres. In crystalline solids, the periodic lattice of Bravais classes underpins long-range order, symmetry operations and band‐structure effects, while point and line defects govern mechanical and transport anomalies. Amorphous and glassy states retain only short‐range coordination but exhibit rigidity through a frozen‐in disorder. Quasicrystals break translational periodicity yet maintain rotational symmetries forbidden in conventional lattices. Layered and van der Waals materials afford weak out-of-plane cohesion, facilitating exfoliation into two-dimensional sheets and stabilising heterostructures by interlayer bonding. At finer scales, noncovalent and covalent interactions, from hydrogen bonds and π–π stacking to metallic and ionic forces, shape lattice parameters, elastic moduli and thermal expansion. Understanding how structural motifs—unit cells, superlattices, wrinkles, scrolls and nanofibres—emerge underpins the design of functional materials for electronics, photonics, catalysis and mechanical applications.

Research from Nature Portfolio

A rapid, solution-based rolling method transforms monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenide flakes into uniform nanoscrolls with near-unity yield in seconds, preserving photoluminescence and conferring self-encapsulation for environmental stability. High-quality tubular morphologies serve as templates for hybrid interfaces in energy and sensing applications. In a related advance, multilayer assemblies of alternating two-dimensional materials are rolled into high-order superlattices, creating thousands of stacked units with tunable topology; the resulting structures exhibit modified electronic bands, magnetoresistance and dimensional crossover. Multiscale correlative X-ray tomography has been applied to service-exposed austenitic steel to map creep cavities and grain-boundary precipitates across seven length decades, revealing how local chemistry, boundary orientation and nanoscale phases drive exhaustion of ductility under stress.

Structural Properties of Condensed Matter publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in structural properties of condensed matter across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Bravais lattice: The infinite set of points generated by integer combinations of fundamental translation vectors defining crystal periodicity.

Primitive unit cell: The smallest volume whose translational repetition reconstructs the entire lattice.

Reciprocal lattice: The set of wavevectors satisfying Bragg conditions, given by the Fourier transform of the direct lattice.

Brillouin zone: The Wigner–Seitz cell of the reciprocal lattice, delineating unique momentum states in periodic media.

Van der Waals forces: Weak interlayer attractions arising from instantaneous dipoles in layered or molecular solids.

Superlattice: A periodic stacking of distinct material layers or stripes, yielding new periodicities and band dispersions.

Nanoscroll: A rolled-up sheet of two-dimensional material forming an open-ended spiral tube.

Winkler foundation model: An elasticity description of a membrane on a substrate, treating adhesion as local springs resisting out-of-plane deflection.

References

1. Rolling up transition metal dichalcogenide nanoscrolls via one drop of ethanol. Nature Communications (2018).
2. High-order superlattices by rolling up van der Waals heterostructures. Nature (2021).
3. Multiscale correlative tomography: an investigation of creep cavitation in 316 stainless steel. Scientific Reports (2017).
4. Van der Waals interaction affects wrinkle formation in two-dimensional materials. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (2021).
5. Fibrillation of Pristine 2D Materials by 2D‐Confined Electrolytes. Advanced Functional Materials (2024).
6. Indirect Band Gap in Scrolled MoS2 Monolayers. Nanomaterials (2022).
7. Well Ordered Lattice Structures in Crystals.