Solid State Physics of Microparacrystals

Abstract

The interdisciplinary nature of the problems associated with colloids and interfaces can be understood with the help of the theory of paracrystals. Nearly all noncrystalline condensed materials are composed of microparacrystals. They unequivocally can be detected by X-ray-, neutron- or electron-diffraction and sometimes also by high precision transmission electronmicroscopy. The α*-law gives evidence that microparacrystals are in a statistical equilibrium state with a well defined polydispersity. The free enthalpy contains a third term, the so called distortion- or fragility-free volume enthalpy which makes the equilibrium state to be understood as a thermodynamical phenomenon. The conventional concepts of "liquid", "solid", "amorphous", etc., are clarified by the introduction of nine statistical parameters to crystallography. Catalysts now are no longer "crystalline", polymers no longer "semicrystalline" and melts no longer "amorphous". M. v. Laue's discovery of a nascent "new science" has been confirmed!