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Substructure

From Online Dictionary of Crystallography

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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