Many technologically interesting materials properties are caused-by intrinsic structural or dynamic disorder phenomena in solids. For this reason, the structural characterization of disordered states constitutes a central aspect of materials science. Within the past decade, nuclear magnetic resonance techniques have made increasingly significant and detailed contributions to this subject. The present review will portray some of the more common methods employed and discuss several important applications to problems in various inorganic materials areas.
Disordered States: The Key Issues Involved and the Organization of this Review
Dopants, Defects, and Particle-Size EffectsThe reference point for a disordered material is the defectfree, pure ideal crystal, which in itself is an unrealistic abstraction. In reality, disorder is always present, and whether or not we detect it is merely a matter of the analytical (structural) technique employed. Although NMR is in general a rather insensitive technique for detecting small perturba-Ber. Bunsenges. Phys. Chem. 94, 1062-1085 (1990) -0 VCH Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, D-6940 Weinheim, 1990. 0 0 0 5 -9021 l90l1010-1062 d 3.50-C .25/0