Monikiteisenä

Monikiteisenä is the essive form of the Finnish adjective monikiteinen, meaning polycrystalline. It describes a material or substance that is in a state of being polycrystalline, i.e., composed of many small crystals rather than a single crystal. The term is commonly used in scientific writing, particularly in geology and materials science, to characterize samples, rocks, minerals, or synthetic materials.

In practice, a monikiteisenä material has a polycrystalline structure with numerous crystallites that meet at grain boundaries. This contrasts with single-crystal materials, which have a continuous crystal lattice without grain boundaries. The polycrystalline state influences various properties, including mechanical strength, grain-boundary diffusion, optical behavior, and anisotropy at the microscopic level, often leading to different macroscopic behavior than in single-crystal counterparts.

The phrase is most often encountered in descriptive or analytical contexts, for example: “Näyte on monikiteisenä” (The sample is polycrystalline) or “monikiteisenä materiaalina, se exhibits …” These formulations emphasize the structural state of the material rather than a specific composition.

See also: yksikiteinen (single crystal), kiteinen structure, kristalli, materiaalitutkimus.

Note: Monikiteisenä is a grammatical form used to express state in Finnish and is not a separate noun; its meaning derives from monikiteinen.