Polycrystalline Samples

Polycrystalline samples are materials made up of many small crystal regions, called grains, each with its own internal structured pattern. These grains are randomly oriented, meaning their internal patterns don’t align uniformly. This contrasts with single crystals, which have a continuous, unbroken crystal structure throughout. Polycrystalline materials are common in everyday objects like metals, ceramics, and certain electronic components because they are easier and less expensive to produce. While they may have slightly different properties than single crystals, polycrystalline samples are often sufficiently strong, stable, and functional for most practical applications.