Crystals are solid materials made up of atoms, molecules, or ions arranged in a highly ordered and repetitive three-dimensional pattern called a crystal lattice. They can occur naturally, such as in minerals like quartz and diamond, or they can be artificially created for use in various applications.
Crystals have unique properties that make them useful in a variety of fields, such as electronics, optics, and medicine. For example, some crystals exhibit piezoelectricity, which means they can convert mechanical stress or pressure into electrical energy, making them useful in sensors and actuators. Other crystals have specific optical properties that make them useful in lasers and other optical devices.