Alloy - a mixture formed by mixing a metal with other metals or non-metals

Body-centred cubic structure - a type of metallic crystal structure in which atoms are not arranged in a close-packed structure but in a pattern with identical odd-numbered layers and identical even-numbered

Brass - an alloy of copper and zinc

Cholesteric - also called chiral nematic phase; arises when the molecules that make up the nematic phase are chiral; in this phase, the molecules line up in positions that they are slightly twisted from the m

Coordination number - the number of atoms (or ions) immediately surrounding an atom (or ion) in a crystal lattice

Cubic close-packed structure - a type of metallic crystal structure, denoted by ‘abcabc’, in which the first, second and third layers of closely packed atoms occupy the ‘a&rs

Director - the preferred direction in which the molecules in the nematic phase tend to point

Face-centred cubic unit cell - a unit cell with cubic close-packed metallic crystal structure where each of its six faces has one atom

Hexagonal close-packed structure - a type of metallic crystal structure, denoted by ‘ababab’, in which the alternate layers of closely packed atoms occupy either the ‘a&rsquo

Interstitial alloy - a type of alloy where smaller atoms fit into holes among the closely packed host metallic atoms

Liquid crystal phase - a mesophase between the solid and liquid phases at certain temperatures; particles in this phase have some degree of transitional freedom with certain orientation preference in one or t

Nematic - molecules in this phase tend to point in the same direction

Smectic - molecules in this phase show some degree of two-dimensional order; they align towards the direction of the director and tend to arrange in layers

Stainless steel - an alloy by iron, chromium and nickel

Substitutional alloy - a type of alloy where some of the host metallic atoms are replaced by the other metallic atoms

Unit cell - the simplest arrangement of atoms (or ions) which when repeated will reproduce the whole structure