Amorphous

Name:
Amorphous
Detailed information:
Noncrystalline, having no molecular lattice structure which is characteristic of the solid state. All liquids are amorphous. Some materials that are apparently solid, such as glasses, or semisolid, such as some high polymers, rubber, and sulfur allotropes, also lack a definite crystal structure and a well-defined melting point. They are considered high-viscosity liquids. The cellulose molecule contains amorphous as well as crystalline areas. Carbon derived by thermal decomposition or partial combustion of coal, petroleum, and wood is amorphous (coke, carbon black, charcoal), though other forms (diamond, graphite) are crystalline. Amorphous metallic alloys for transformer coils are made by extremely rapid cooling of the molten mixture. They are composed of iron, nickel, phosphorus, and boron.See Liquid; Liquid Crystal; Glass, Metallic.