SOLID STATEUNIT

INTRODUCTION

Matter may exist in three different physical states namely solid, liquid and gas. If you look around, you may find mostly solids rather than liquids and gases. Solids differ from liquids and gases by possessing definite volume and definite shape. In the solids the atoms or molecules or ion are tightly held in an ordered arrangement and there are many types of solids such as diamond, metals, plastics etc., and most of the substances that we use in our daily life are in the solid state. We require solids with different properties for various applications. Understanding the relation between the structure of solids and their properties is very much useful in synthesizing new solid materials with different properties.

In this chapter, we study the characteristics of solids, classification, structure and their properties; we also discuss the crystal defects and their significance.