Crystallite

A crystallite is a small crystal or crystalline region within a material. In a polycrystalline solid, each crystallite is typically one grain with a regular atomic arrangement.

Crystal structure: The repeating arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules in a crystalline solid. A crystallite is a region in which this arrangement remains ordered.
X-ray diffraction: A method that uses X-ray scattering to determine the structure and properties of crystalline materials. Diffraction peak broadening can reveal crystallite dimensions.
Grain growth: The increase in average grain size as boundaries move through a polycrystalline material. It changes crystallite dimensions during heating and processing.
Grain size: A measure of the dimensions of grains in a polycrystalline material. A grain may contain multiple crystallites if internal defects divide its coherent regions.
Crystal lattice: An idealized periodic array of points representing the symmetry and translational order of a crystal. Its repeating geometry describes the internal order within a crystallite.
Scherrer equation: An equation estimating crystallite size from the broadening of diffraction peaks. It connects measured peak widths to the size of coherently diffracting regions.
Recrystallization (metallurgy): The formation of new, relatively strain-free grains in a deformed material, usually during heating. It replaces distorted crystallites and resets the grain structure.
Particle size: A measure of the dimensions of discrete particles in a powder or dispersed material. A particle can contain one crystallite, several crystallites, or amorphous material.
Grain boundary: An interface separating two crystalline regions with different orientations or structures. It marks where one crystallite ends and a neighboring grain begins.
Coherent scattering domain: A region of a material that scatters radiation with a consistent phase relationship. It can be smaller than a visible grain when defects interrupt crystal coherence.

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Powder diffractionRelated: A powder contains many crystallites with varied orientations.