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GATE 2020 MT – Question 50

Materials Science and Non-Metallic Materials · Crystal structures and bonding · 2 marks · Numerical answer

Using hard spheres, find the largest atom radius fitting an octahedral void in BCC Fe without lattice distortion, in nm to 3 decimals. Fe atomic radius is 0.124 nm.

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Correct answer: 0.018 to 0.020

Explanation

BCC geometry gives $a=4R/\sqrt3$. The limiting separation at an octahedral site is a/2, so $r=a/2-R=(2/\sqrt3-1)R$. With R = 0.124 nm, $r=0.01918$ nm, approximately 0.019 nm.

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