Solid State Chemistry and its Applications: Student Edition

Citation

West, A. R. (2014). Solid State Chemistry and its Applications: Student Edition (2nd ed.). Wiley.

Chapter Summary

The student edition runs to 592 pages in ten chapters, followed by further reading, three short appendices and an index. Wiley presents it as a complete rewrite and expansion of the author's earlier Basic Solid State Chemistry, published in full colour, with each section starting from a gentle introduction to basic principles before moving to a more advanced level.

Chapter 1: Crystal Structures and Crystal Chemistry

The longest opening chapter (about 80 pages). It begins with unit cells, crystal systems, symmetry, Bravais lattices, Miller indices and d-spacing formulae, then moves to describing crystal structures: close packing (cubic and hexagonal), unit cell projections and atomic coordinates, materials that can be described as close packed (metals, alloys, ionic structures), structures built of space-filling polyhedra, and a survey of important structure types.

Chapter 2: Crystal Defects, Non-Stoichiometry and Solid Solutions

Covers perfect and imperfect crystals, point defects, solid solutions, extended defects, and dislocations in relation to the mechanical properties of solids.

Chapter 3: Bonding in Solids

Starts from an overview of ionic, covalent, metallic, van der Waals and hydrogen bonding, then treats ionic bonding, covalent bonding, and metallic bonding with band theory, ending with a comment on "bands or bonds". Wiley highlights the new section on covalent bonding and the fuller treatment of metallic bonding in this edition.

Chapter 4: Synthesis, Processing and Fabrication Methods

Organises preparation by route: solid state reaction, low-temperature ("chimie douce") methods, gas-phase methods, high-pressure methods and crystal growth. Wiley lists microwave, combinatorial and mechano-synthesis, atomic layer deposition and spray pyrolysis among the new topics.

Chapter 5: Crystallography and Diffraction Techniques

A chapter on characterisation of solids, built around X-ray diffraction, with sections on electron diffraction and neutron diffraction.

Chapter 6: Other Techniques: Microscopy, Spectroscopy, Thermal Analysis

Extends characterisation beyond diffraction: optical and electron microscopy, spectroscopic techniques and thermal analysis, closing with a strategy for identifying, analysing and characterising unknown solids.

Chapter 7: Phase Diagrams and their Interpretation

Introduces the phase rule and the condensed phase rule, then one-component and two-component condensed systems, with tips for constructing binary phase diagrams.

Chapter 8: Electrical Properties

The largest property chapter. It surveys electrical materials and covers metallic conductivity, superconductivity, semiconductivity and ionic conductivity (a long section), then dielectrics, ferroelectrics, pyroelectrics and piezoelectrics and their applications.

Chapter 9: Magnetic Properties

Treats the physical properties of magnetism, magnetic materials with their structures and properties, applications linking structure to property, and recent developments.

Chapter 10: Optical Properties: Luminescence and Lasers

Starts with visible light and sources of light, then luminescence and phosphors (including a configurational coordinate model and anti-Stokes phosphors), stimulated emission and lasers, and finishes with photodetectors, fibre optics and solar cells.

Appendices

Further reading, then appendices on interplanar spacings and unit cell volumes, geometrical considerations in crystal chemistry, and how to recognise close-packed eutactic structures.

Key Concepts

Chapters 1–3: Structure, defects and bonding

• Unit cell and symmetry: the repeating unit and symmetry operations that describe any crystal structure.
• Close packing: cubic and hexagonal close-packed arrangements, used as a framework for describing many metals, alloys and ionic solids.
• Point defects and solid solutions: departures from perfect order, and how compositions vary across solid solutions.
• Band theory: the electronic-structure picture of metallic bonding and its comparison with localized bonds.

Chapters 4–7: Making and characterising solids

• Solid state reaction versus low-temperature routes: contrasting ways of preparing inorganic materials.
• X-ray, electron and neutron diffraction: the main routes to crystal structure.
• Phase rule and binary phase diagrams: how composition and temperature determine the phases present.

Chapters 8–10: Properties

• Superconductivity, semiconductivity and ionic conductivity: three distinct kinds of electrical behaviour treated in the electrical properties chapter.
• Ferroelectrics, pyroelectrics and piezoelectrics: dielectric materials responding to field, heat and stress.
• Luminescence and lasers: emission from phosphors and the stimulated-emission principle.

Critical Analysis

Strengths

• Structure leads to function. The ten chapters run from structures through defects, bonding, synthesis and characterisation to electrical, magnetic and optical properties, so that properties are explained from the structural vocabulary set out first.
• Synthesis and characterisation get serious coverage. Chapter 4 is organised by preparative route, and Chapters 5 and 6 together cover diffraction, microscopy, spectroscopy and thermal analysis, ending in a strategy for characterising an unknown solid.
• Visual and digital support. The book is published in full colour, and Wiley states that access to CrystalMaker software lets readers view and rotate over 100 crystal structures in three dimensions; solutions to exercises and supplementary lecture material are available online.
• Up-to-date topics. The publisher lists semiconductors, giant and colossal magnetoresistance, multiferroics, LEDs, fibre optics, solar cells, lasers, graphene and quasicrystals among the expanded or new material.

Limitations

• Heavy start. Chapter 1 runs about 80 pages and packs symmetry, lattices and a long survey of structure types before any chemistry of function appears; readers without crystallography should pace themselves.
• Bonding comes after structure. Chapter 3 follows the defect chapter, so the first two chapters rely on bonding ideas from earlier courses rather than on the book's own treatment.
• Not a polymer or soft-materials text. The contents concentrate on inorganic crystalline solids, so polymer and organic materials need other books.

Where It Fits in the Course

In the materials and polymer chemistry course, West is the book for inorganic solids: structures, defects, synthesis, characterisation and the electrical, magnetic and optical properties that follow. Allcock's Introduction to Materials Chemistry approaches materials from a chemist's viewpoint across polymers, ceramics, metals and semiconductors, and works as a broader first survey before or beside West.

Carraher's Introduction to Polymer Chemistry and Young and Lovell's Introduction to Polymers cover the polymer side, which West leaves out; Young and Lovell is organised around synthesis, characterisation, morphology and properties. Crystal Structure Refinement is a practical guide to determining and refining crystal structures from diffraction data, which goes deeper than West's diffraction chapter for readers who will run refinements.

How to Use This Book

The text is written for undergraduates and new research workers in solid state chemistry. Prior general chemistry and a first inorganic course are the sensible preparation, since the book opens directly with crystal structures.

A practical plan:

• Core: Chapters 1 to 3 in order; spend time on Chapter 1 with the CrystalMaker models or physical models.
• Methods: Chapters 4 to 6 can be read alongside laboratory work on synthesis and characterisation.
• Phase diagrams: Chapter 7 can be taken as a free-standing unit if a course teaches phase equilibria separately.
• Properties: Chapters 8 to 10 can be read selectively, choosing the electrical, magnetic or optical material that matches the course; Chapter 8 is the longest.

Use the online solutions to exercises to check understanding as each chapter is finished.