Polyhedroina

Polyhedroina is a fictional mineral concept used in speculative geology and worldbuilding to illustrate a class of materials composed of interlocking polyhedral units. In this conception, the mineral forms three-dimensional frameworks built from discrete polyhedra, such as tetrahedra, octahedra, and more complex shapes, linked at shared corners and edges.

Structure and morphology are central to polyhedroina. Crystals are imagined as periodic networks where polyhedral cages create porosity and open channels. The arrangement can resemble zeolite-like frameworks or more nodal three-dimensional lattices, with variations in topology producing different pore sizes and diffusion pathways.

Occurrence and origin are described in fictional contexts as diagenetic or metasomatic products of carbonate- and aluminosilicate-rich systems. In some narratives, polyhedroina crystallizes under moderate temperatures and pressures, often alongside phyllosilicates and quartz, and can form as accessory phases within sedimentary or igneous rocks.

Synthesis and detection are also portrayed in speculative literature. In-universe methods include hydrothermal synthesis of metal-oxide gels and controlled crystallization under defined pH and fluid composition. Analytical techniques such as X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy reveal its characteristic polyhedral motifs and framework topology.

Properties and applications assigned to polyhedroina are speculative but often feature moderate hardness, notable porosity, and high surface area. Proposed applications include gas storage, heterogeneous catalysis, and photonic or sensing materials, though no tangible specimens exist in the real world.

Taxonomy commonly divides polyhedroina into several polymorphs (for example, polyhedroina-I, polyhedroina-II, polyhedroina-III), distinguished by the specific polyhedral units and network connectivity.

Note: Polyhedroina is a fictional mineral concept created for illustrative purposes and does not correspond to an established mineral in geoscience. See also polyhedron, zeolite, framework mineral.