Properties Affected by Schottky Defect

Schottky defects decrease the density of a crystal. When ions leave their lattice sites, they create vacancies in the crystal structure. These vacancies lead to an increase in the volume of the crystal while the mass remains the same. As density is mass per unit volume, the overall density of the crystal decreases. This is an important characteristic of Schottky defects and is often used to identify their presence in ionic crystals.