The Structures of Binary Compounds

Book excerpt: - Up-to-date compilation of the experimental data on the structures of binary compounds by Villars and colleagues. - Coloured structure maps which order the compounds into their respective structural domains and present for the first time the local co-ordination polyhedra for the 150 most frequently occurring structure types, pedagogically very helpful and useful in the search for new materials with a required crystal structure. - Crystal co-ordination formulas: a flexible notation for the interpretation of solid-state structures by chemist Bill Jensen. - Recent important advances in understanding the quantum mechanical origin of structural stability presented in two clearly-written chapters by leading experts in the field: Hafner, Majewski and Vogl. ``The Structures of Binary Compounds'' presents not only the most up-to-date compilation of the experimental data on the structures of binary compounds, but also the recent important theoretical advances in understanding the quantum-mechanical origin of structural stability. In addition to this volume, a large wall chart displaying the structure maps for the AB, ABs and AB3 stoichiometries together with the corresponding co-ordination polyhedra, has been published.The first half of the book details the successful ordering of the known experimental data in two- or three-dimensional coloured structure maps, the 150 most frequently occurring structure types being characterized for the first time by their local co-ordination polyhedra. The second half of the book details the success of first-principle theoretical calculations within the Local Density Functional Approximation in predicting the correct ground state structures of binary semiconductors, insulators and metals. The book concludes with a chapter on the cohesion and structure of solids from the more localized tight-binding point of view.