The material offers a window into how the physical properties of quantum solids, such as light transmission, electrical conduction, or response to a magnetic field, relate to the underlying geometry ...

This distorts the regular lattice structure in brass, so layers of atoms cannot slide over each other so easily. This makes brass stronger than copper or zinc alone.

It is not. A 3D construction model shows how the ions are arranged in a lattice structure. These models usually use coloured balls to represent the ions. Some use sticks to show the ionic bonds.