amorph
9.9
A solid that has no regular internal pattern, like glass
- noun
- /əˈmɔrf/
- Specialized
:
sólido amorfo
- The laboratory created an amorph solid that demonstrated unique properties unlike crystalline materials.
Examples
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Scientists are studying how to manipulate amorph materials to improve their strength and flexibility.
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Some amorphs can be found in nature, such as certain types of silica that do not form a regular crystal structure.
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There is now evidence for a conjecture that the two "amorphs" of water ice are thermodynamically linked to two theorized fluid phases that merge at a critical point.
Academic text (1998)
How Crystalline
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Amorph comes from a- 'not' and morph 'shape', so it means 'without shape'. In science, an amorph solid, like glass, has no regular structure inside the material, unlike a crystal, which is why scientists use this name.