Peierls transition

{
  "id": "MLC-T-CHM-008583",
  "term": "Peierls transition",
  "field": "Chemistry",
  "definition": "A structural distortion in a quasi one-dimensional metal, usually a pairing of atoms along the chain, that lengthens the unit cell and opens a gap at the Fermi level, turning the metal into a semiconductor or insulator. The electronic energy gained outweighs the elastic energy cost, and the distortion appears as a charge density wave below a transition temperature, as in TTF-TCNQ near 54 K.",
  "subject": "Inorganic Chemistry",
  "see_also": [
    "Fermi energy",
    "dimerization",
    "metal-insulator transition",
    "unit cell"
  ],
  "references": [
    "PAC, 1994, 66, 577. 'Definitions of terms relating to phase transitions of the solid state (IUPAC Recommendations 1994)' on page 588 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac199466030577)"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/chemistry/peierls-transition/"
}