Poisson's ratio is the fundamental metric used to discuss the performance of any material when strained elastically. However, the methods of the determination of Poisson's ratio are not yet discussed well. The first purpose of this paper is to introduce the five kinds of typical experimental methods to measure Poisson's ratio of glasses, ceramics, and crystals. The second purpose is to discuss the experimental results on the variation of Poisson's ratio by composition, temperature, and pressure reviewed for various glasses, ceramics, and crystals, which are not yet reviewed. For example, in oxide glasses, the number of bridging oxygen atoms per glass-forming cation provides a straightforward estimation of network crosslinking using Poisson's ratio. In the structural-phase transition of crystals, Poisson's ratio shows remarkable temperature-dependence in the vicinity of a phase-transition temperature. The mechanism of these variations is discussed from physical and chemical points of view. The first-principles calculation of Poisson's ratio in the newly hypothesized compounds is also described, and its pressure-induced ductile-brittle transition is discussed.
Keywords: Brillouin scattering; Poisson’s ratio; atomic force microscopy; ceramic; crystal; first-principles calculation; glass; pulse-echo method; ultrasonic resonance.