CLAIMING to be the world’s largest database of fully determined inorganic crystal structures, the ICSD (Inorganic Crystal Structure Database) now includes over 150,000 evaluated records.
Produced by Fiz Karlsruhe in Germany and NIST (National Institute for Standards and Technology) in the USA, ICSD helps scientists and researchers to optimise products and processes as well as create new materials including superconductors, ceramics, and nano-particles with specific, custom-made properties.
The ICSD database is updated every six months with about 7000 new records, in order to keep it on top of the latest developments. Each year, around 5000 existing records are reviewed and modified as a result of the latest research findings.
The database is used by crystallographers, geologists, and mineralogists, in addition to chemists, materials scientists, and physicists engaged in applied and basic research as well as for the in-silico development of new advanced materials.
ICSD is offered as a package with search and analysis software for Windows computers, and as web-based resource. It includes powerful search options for crystallographic data and related information, along with tools for the analysis and visualisation of crystal structures.
Of particular importance for the analysis of unknown compounds is the classification into structure types. Incorporated bibliographic data enables fast (sometimes direct) access to original publications, via link resolvers or Fiz AutoDoc text delivery service