Solid state chemistry and its applications Solid state chemistry is a field of inorganic chemistry which addresses the synthesis structure and properties of materials in the solid phase. Solid state chemistry lies at the heart of many significant scientific advances from recent decades including the discovery of high temperate superconductors new forms of carbon (C60 graphene) development of rechargeable lithium batteries and countless other developments in the synthesis structure determination property measurements and applications of inorganic materials. Going forward solid state chemistry will be crucial for the discovery and development of new functional materials in areas such as energy storage energy conversion catalysis solid state lighting and superconductivity Solid state Chemistry: An overview of the Discipline Crystal Structures Crystal Chemistry Symmetry and Space Groups Crystal Defects Non Stoichiometry and Solid Solutions Bonding in Solids Synthesis Processing and Fabrication Methods Crystallography and Diffraction Techniques Other Characterisation Techniques: Microscopy Spectroscopy Thermal Analysis Phase Diagrams and Their Interpretation Electrical Properties Magnetic Properties Optical Properties: Luminescence Lasers and Transparent Conductors Impedance Spectroscopy: Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Materials Electroceramics Thermal and thermoelectric properties Functional Materials: Some Important Examples Glass Structural materials: Cement Refractories and Structural Ceramics Oxides of the Elements their Properties and Uses Further Reading Appendix A: Interplanar Spacings and Unit Cell Volumes Appendix B: Model Building Appendix C: Geometrical Considerations in Crystal Chemistry Appendix D: The Elements and Some of Their Properties Appendix E: The 32 Crystallographic Point Groups Appendix F: The Arrhenius Equation for Ionic Conductivity Appendix G: A Guide to the Use of Electrode Potentials.