Solid-state chemistry
Solid-state chemistry is the study of solid materials, which may be molecular. Solid-state chemistry studies both the synthesis, the structure and the physical properties of solids. It therefore has a strong overlap with solid-state physics, mineralogy, crystallography, ceramics, metallurgy, thermodynamics, materials science and electronics with a focus on the synthesis of novel materials.
History
Because of its direct relevance to products of commerce, solid state inorganic chemistry has been strongly driven by technology well in advance of atomic-level descriptions or academic studies. 20th century landmarks included zeolite- and platinum-based catalysts for petroleum processing in the 1950’s, high-purity silicon as a core component of microelectronic devices in the 1960’s, and “high temperature” superconductivity in the 1980’s. The invention of X-ray crystallography in the early 1900's by Bragg was enabling.
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