Correlated clusters, similar sublattices, tenfold twins, and digressions into discrepancies - Contributions to the crystal chemistry of complex intermetallics

Wolfgang Hornfeck is a specialist for structure analysis of intermetallic phases, modulated structures, and structure systematics by methods of mathematical crystallography.

Abstract přednášky: Intermetallic phases are notorious for the complexity observed for their crystal structures posing a challenge for structure analysis. This includes the non-trivial task of finding the "best" structure description, which, once it is found, not only appears to be comparatively "simple", but really contributes to a deeper understanding of the structural chemistry by highlighting subtle correlations and previously hidden symmetries. We illustrate this idea by sketching structures from diverse binary intermetallic systems and, moreover, for the beta modification of elemental manganese. Some useful geometrical concepts, like the uniform distribution of atoms in space, are introduced along the way.