What are the implications of tetrahedral stacking in diamond cubic arrangements?

[InkTide]

In terms of tetrahedral stacking, as occurs in diamond cubic, what I'm describing would be a system with additional tetrahedra in the empty cubes of that figure, but with their vertices on the opposite corners of the cubes that contain them to the "regular" diamond cubic arrangement.

Due to the proximity of the atoms involved, I'd suspect such a system would need to be something like the β-cristobalite arrangement, where the 'corners' of both diamond cubic lattices would be separated by other bridging ligands, to give the overlapping lattice sufficient space to exist without... well, exploding. EDIT: specifically, the β-cristobalite phase.

Such a substance might be thought of as two substances, however, as the two overlapping crystal lattices would never actually connect to each other through bonds outside of defects - they would be simply co-located. This could have very interesting implications for the chemistry of the resulting crystals as well as their physical properties. One might also think of this more generally as the structure of a catenane or rotaxane applied repeatedly, and presumably diamond cubic wouldn't be the only system that could accomplish this... if only atoms would have the mathematical decency to have zero volume.

 

[member38644]

The idea of exploring tetrahedral stacking in diamond cubic arrangements is a fascinating concept. It presents the possibility of creating a unique and potentially stable crystal structure by adding additional tetrahedra within the empty cubes of the diamond cubic arrangement. The proposed arrangement with the tetrahedra's vertices on the opposite corners of the cubes is reminiscent of the β-cristobalite phase, which is known for its unique arrangement of atoms.

One of the most intriguing aspects of this concept is the potential for creating a substance that is essentially two substances co-located within the same crystal lattice. This could have significant implications for the chemistry and physical properties of the resulting crystals. It also brings to mind the structure of catenanes and rotaxanes, which have been extensively studied for their unique properties.

However, as mentioned, the challenge lies in ensuring that the overlapping lattice has enough space to exist without exploding due to the proximity of the atoms involved. This highlights the importance of carefully considering the dimensions and arrangement of the additional tetrahedra within the diamond cubic lattice.

Overall, exploring tetrahedral stacking in diamond cubic arrangements has the potential to open up new avenues for creating unique crystal structures with interesting properties. It also highlights the need for further research and experimentation in this area to fully understand the implications and potential applications of this concept.