n Fe3C (a) and MgCu2 (b) the coordination of large (red: Fe, Mg) and small (blue: C, Cu) atoms is quite different, leading to a high energy on interchange of their positions (Credit: MIT/Nature Materials)



MIT researchers have developed a software that can help predict the crystal structures of materials. To design this, the scientists have successfully integrated data mining tools and modern methods of quantum mechanics.



The developed program uses the entire historical knowledge body of crystal structures fed into a computer algorithm to deliver a list of possible crystal structures for any mixture of elements whose structure is unknown.



This helps the team to calculate precisely the most energetically stable structure — a standard technique in the computer modeling of materials.