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Which metals have a face-centred cubic crystal structure?
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materials science
Movement of an electron hole in a crystal lattice.
In materials science, the face-centred cubic (fcc) crystal structureāalso known as cubic-closest-packedāis a highly efficient atomic arrangement where spheres fill 74 percent of the volume.1
Among the metallic elements, 26 are known to crystallize in this lattice structure. Notable examples of metals that possess an fcc structure include:1
- Copper1
- Silver (Ag)1
- Gold (Au)1
In this configuration, each atom has 12 nearest neighbors, and the structure follows a three-layer repeating sequence (A-B-C-A-B-C). While these metals are primary examples, it is important to note that some elements can exhibit multiple crystal structures depending on conditions.1