Dan Shechtman

Dan Shechtman
Holger Motzkau · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Name	Dan Shechtman
Birth date	1941-01-24
Birth place	Tel Aviv, Mandatory Palestine
Nationality	Israeli
Fields	Materials science, Chemistry
Institutions	Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Alma mater	Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
Known for	Discovery of quasicrystals
Awards	Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Wolf Prize in Chemistry

Dan Shechtman (born 24 January 1941) is an Israeli materials scientist and chemist noted for the discovery of quasicrystals, a finding that challenged prevailing paradigms in crystallography and influenced research across physics, materials science, and nanotechnology. His work provoked debate with established figures in solid-state physics and led to reevaluation of definitions in International Union of Crystallography policies and textbooks. Shechtman received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2011 for his discovery.

Early life and education

Shechtman was born in Tel Aviv during the era of Mandatory Palestine to a family that later lived through episodes associated with the formation of the State of Israel. He completed secondary schooling before enrolling at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, where he studied metallurgy and materials engineering. At the Technion he earned his Bachelor of Science, followed by a Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in materials-related disciplines, completing graduate work in environments connected to research on metals and alloys. During his formative years he encountered faculty and visiting researchers with ties to institutions such as the Weizmann Institute of Science and international laboratories in United States research centers.

Academic and research career

After doctoral studies, Shechtman spent time as a research scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (then National Bureau of Standards) where he worked with electron microscopy equipment and interacted with researchers from Bell Labs, IBM, and university groups at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University. Returning to Israel, he joined the faculty at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in the Department of Materials Engineering, later holding positions that connected him to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and collaborative projects with laboratories at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory. His laboratory specialized in transmission electron microscopy, diffraction analysis, and characterization techniques common to teams at Harvard University and University of Cambridge materials departments. Throughout his career he supervised students, participated in committees of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, and contributed to international conferences organized by bodies such as the American Physical Society and European Crystallographic Association.

Discovery of quasicrystals

In 1982 Shechtman observed an electron-diffraction pattern exhibiting tenfold rotational symmetry while examining rapidly cooled alloys of aluminum and manganese. The pattern contradicted the long-standing rules of classical crystallography associated with the works of August Bravais, William Henry Bragg, and William Lawrence Bragg that allowed only certain rotational symmetries. The unexpected result resembled theoretical models proposed by Roger Penrose and connected to mathematical tilings later recognized by researchers in Mathematical crystallography and tiling theory. Shechtman reported the finding amid skepticism from leading figures such as Linus Pauling, whose position on metallic phases and crystal chemistry led to public controversy. Initial resistance included criticism within the Materials Research Society and discussions at the International Union of Crystallography, but subsequent confirmations by independent teams at institutions like University of Toronto, Ames Laboratory, and University of Cambridge validated the phenomenon.

The new phase was termed a "quasicrystal" to describe a solid with long-range order but lacking periodic translational symmetry, paralleling mathematical constructs such as Penrose tiling and concepts developed in solid-state physics by theorists acquainted with Hermann Weyl and Pauling-era conventions. Experiments using X-ray diffraction and advanced electron microscopy, including work related to scanning tunneling microscopy and atomic force microscopy in later decades, revealed physical properties—such as low thermal conductivity and unique surface structures—relevant to applications explored by engineers at General Electric and researchers at NASA centers.

Awards and honors

Recognition for Shechtman's discovery accumulated over decades. He received the Wolf Prize in Chemistry and other accolades from scientific societies including awards from the Royal Society of Chemistry and the American Ceramic Society. The pinnacle was the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2011, awarded jointly with researchers whose work connected to structural chemistry and materials characterization. He has been elected to academies such as the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities and received honorary degrees from universities including University of Paris and University of Strathclyde. Shechtman’s honors also include medals and prizes granted by organizations like the European Academy of Sciences and the Materials Research Society.

Later work and legacy

After the quasicrystal discovery, Shechtman continued research in phase stability, crystallography, and alloy development, collaborating with groups at Technion, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and international centers such as Max Planck Institute laboratories and RIKEN. His work influenced advances in amorphous alloys, photonic quasicrystals, and exploration of quasicrystalline coatings in industrial settings by companies like Siemens and Boeing. The debate his discovery triggered reshaped curricula at institutions such as University of California, Berkeley and Imperial College London, and altered definitions upheld by the International Union of Crystallography. Shechtman has been portrayed in media pieces covering the history of science alongside figures like Linus Pauling and Roger Penrose, and his narrative is cited in discussions of scientific dissent, peer review, and paradigm shifts in the tradition of scholars influenced by Thomas Kuhn. His legacy persists in laboratories, collections in museums such as the Smithsonian Institution, and in ongoing research integrating quasicrystalline order into fields pursued at centers including Massachusetts Institute of Technology and ETH Zurich.

Category:Israeli scientists