Substructure

Sous-structure (Fr). Sottostruttura (It). 部分構造 (Ja).

A crystal structure S is composed of a finite number N of crystallographic orbits. When N > 1, a subset N’ (1 ≤ N’ < N) of the crystallographic orbits of S defines a substructure.

In chemistry and material science literature a substructure is often but incorrectly called a sublattice. A lattice is a mathematical description of the periodicity of a crystal structure and does not possess atomic nature. Furthermore, the translation lattice built on the subset of atoms defining a substructure can either coincide with the lattice of the original structure or be a superlattice of it, but never a sublattice.

See also

• Derivative structure
• Superstructure
• Nespolo, M. (2019). J. Appl. Cryst. 52, 451--456. The confusion between lattice and structure explained