The Inorganic Crystal Structure Database (ICSD), which claims to be the world's largest database of fully determined inorganic crystal structures, now offers more than 150,000 evaluated records. The database is produced by FIZ Karlsruhe in Germany and the National Institute for Standards and Technology in the US.
Since mid-April, researchers and scientists have access to more than 150,000 records stored in ICSD. The ICSD data not only help optimise existing products and current production processes, but also provide information for the 'in silico' development of new, technologically relevant, materials like superconductors, ceramics, or nano-particles with specific, tailor-made properties. The evaluated data are projected as a valuable basis for quantitative and qualitative analysis in research and quality management. FIZ Karlsruhe seeks to strengthen the innovative power of materials research and contribute to the development of resource-efficient production processes and sustainable materials via this database.
For more than 30 years, ICSD has been assisting materials scientists, chemists, physicists, crystallographers, mineralogists and geologists in solving manifold problems in applied and basic research and in visualising basic topics for teaching purposes. The database is updated every six months with about 7,000 new records, which is said to ensure a high degree of topicality. In addition, about 4,000–6,000 records are reviewed and modified each year on the basis of the latest research findings.
FIZ Karlsruhe offers ICSD as an integrated package with search and analysis software for Windows-based systems and as web-based Internet and intranet solutions. ICSD offers various search options for crystallographic data and related information along with tools allowing for analysis and visualisation of the crystal structures. Of particular importance for the analysis of yet unknown compounds is the classification of the structures into structure types reflecting the relationships between the structures. The bibliographic data contained in ICSD allow for fast – in some cases direct – access to the original publications, for example, via link resolvers or via the full-text delivery service FIZ AutoDoc.
