noun
- different structural forms of the same chemical compound that have identical composition but different crystal structures
Usage: crystallography; materials science
Examples
- Silicon carbide has over 200 known polytypes.
- The researchers identified three distinct polytypes of the mineral.
- Different polytypes can have varying physical properties despite identical chemical composition.
- The study focused on the transformation between polytypes under high pressure.
- Zinc sulfide polytypes are commonly studied in crystallography courses.
- The polytypes were distinguished using X-ray diffraction analysis.