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Glite Dictionary
🌪️ A huge storm 🧊 A large unit cell
supercell

supercell

9.5
A larger repeating block of atoms used to model a crystal structure
  • noun
  • /ˈsuːpərˌsɛl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : supercélula
  • By expanding the lattice into a supercell, scientists could observe interactions between multiple impurities.

Examples

  • The properties of the material were analyzed using a computational model based on a supercell approach.

  • A supercell consists of multiple unit cells.

  • Researchers built a supercell to simulate the effects of atomic defects in the crystal structure.

  • Researchers often study supercells in material science.

  • Researchers built a supercell to simulate the effects of atomic defects in the crystal structure.

  • The properties of the material were analyzed using a computational model based on a supercell approach.

  • By expanding the lattice into a supercell, scientists could observe interactions between multiple impurities.

Synonyms

superlattice
vssupercell
  • Specialized
1 9.8

A structure of repeating thin layers of different materials

is a modeling construct that uses several unit cells to represent periodicity

How Large

supercell
  • Specialized
9.5
unit cell
  • Specialized
6.8

Surface Forms

supercell singular
supercells plural

Morphology

supercell = super + cell (transparent) = super + cell

Formed from 'super' meaning larger/extended and 'cell' meaning unit cell; the technical meaning (an enlarged periodic cell) is directly signalled by the components.

Etymology

Supercell comes from super ('above' or 'more than') and cell ('small unit', like a 'cell' in a crystal or a 'cell phone'), so in physics it means a larger combined unit made from several repeating cells to study defects and interactions in a material.