If you have seen the abbreviation DHCP somewhere related to materials science, physics, or crystallography, it probably stands for Double Hexagonal Close-Packed. This is a type of crystal structure which resembles two regular Hexagonal Close-Packed (HCP) unit cells stacked on top of each other. If you’re looking for an in-depth explanation of DHCP crystal structure, I wrote a whole article about it.
You may also see the DHCP crystal referred to as “La-type,” since lanthanum is the first element to exhibit this crystal structure
DHCP is a close-packed structure with stacking order ABAC-ABAC.
Related Terms:
HCP
FCC
BCC
BCT
Halite
Zincblende
Perovskite
Stacking Order
