Advanced & Energy Materials

The concept of microstructure can be seen in macrostructural elements. Electrified steel, such as that used in the packing of a light post or a traffic barrier, has a non-consistently hued weave of interlocking polygons in varying colors of dark or silver. Each polygon is a single jewel of zinc clinging to the surface of the steel beneath. Zinc and lead are two common metals that are used to frame large jewels (grains) that are visible to the human eye. Each grain's molecules are classified into one of seven three-dimensional stacking plans or precious stone cross sections (cubic, tetrahedral, hexagonal, monoclinic, triclinic, rhombohedral, and orthorhombic). The arrangement of the frameworks differs across adjacent gems, causing a variation in the reflectivity of each displayed face of the interlocked grains on the agitated surface.