quasicrystalline materials

quasicrystalline materials
Name	Quasicrystalline materials
Discovery	1982
Discoverer	Dan Shechtman
Category	Solid-state materials

quasicrystalline materials are a class of solids with long-range order but aperiodic atomic arrangements, exhibiting symmetries forbidden in classical crystallography. They bridge concepts from Aaron Klug-era structural biology, Linus Pauling-era chemical bonding, and mathematical work by Roger Penrose and A. J. C. Cunningham on aperiodic tilings, influencing research at institutions such as Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and National Institute of Standards and Technology. Quasicrystalline materials have inspired collaborations among laboratories including Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and companies like 3M and General Electric for commercial development.

Overview and definition

Quasicrystalline materials were defined following experimental reports by Dan Shechtman and interpretive analysis involving theorists like John C. H. Spence and Linus Pauling; subsequent work by Dov Levine and Paul J. Steinhardt formalized the concept. The definition distinguishes them from classical crystals described by the International Union of Crystallography, and situates them relative to amorphous solids, metallic glasses, intermetallic compounds, and complex metallic alloys. Recognition of quasicrystalline phases led to awards including the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and policy debates at universities such as MIT and Harvard University.

History of discovery and development

The initial report in 1982 by Dan Shechtman at National Bureau of Standards (now NIST) challenged prevailing views held by figures like Linus Pauling; reactions involved meetings at American Physical Society conferences and discussions published in journals edited by John Maddox of Nature. The 1980s and 1990s saw rapid development by groups at Bell Labs, IBM Research, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, and Los Alamos National Laboratory, and spurred mathematical interest from Roger Penrose and Nicolaas H. Kuiper. Later advances occurred via collaborations with Philippe Villars and J. M. Dubois and industrial exploration at Alcoa and NASA Glenn Research Center.

Atomic structure and symmetry

Quasicrystalline materials display rotational symmetries such as fivefold, eightfold, tenfold, and twelvefold, which conflicted with classical lattice symmetries cataloged by Bravais and discussed in works by E. S. Fedorov and Arthur Moritz Schoenflies. Structural descriptions use tilings inspired by Roger Penrose's rhombus tiling and algebraic frameworks developed by Alan L. Mackay and Michael D. Kaplan. Atomic motifs in systems like Al–Mn and Al–Cu–Fe were resolved with inputs from researchers including Peter Jaric and Dan Shechtman, correlating atomic surfaces with reciprocal-space constructions popularized by J. P. Lu and R. Lifshitz.

Physical and chemical properties

Quasicrystalline materials exhibit low thermal and electrical conductivity, high hardness, low friction coefficients, and notable oxidation resistance; these properties were measured in studies at Sandia National Laboratories, Argonne National Laboratory, and Delft University of Technology. Electronic behavior connects to theories by Philip W. Anderson and experimental probes by Claude Cohen-Tannoudji-linked spectroscopy groups. Chemical stability in systems such as Al–Pd–Mn and Ti–Zr–Ni influenced corrosion studies at Fraunhofer Society labs and surface science investigations involving Gerd Binnig-style microscopy teams.

Synthesis and fabrication methods

Common fabrication approaches include rapid solidification pioneered by teams at Los Alamos National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, melt-spinning used by researchers at Nissan-affiliated groups, high-vacuum sputtering developed at Bell Labs, and annealing routes refined at Max Planck Institute. Techniques such as molecular beam epitaxy investigated by groups at IBM Research and thin-film deposition at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory produce quasicrystalline coatings, while mechanical alloying at Boeing and additive manufacturing trials at General Electric explore bulk processing.

Characterization techniques

Key characterization tools include electron diffraction as used by Dan Shechtman and later groups at Cambridge University, transmission electron microscopy by John C. H. Spence and Harvard University teams, scanning tunneling microscopy developed by Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer-inspired groups, X-ray diffraction at European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, neutron scattering at Institut Laue–Langevin, and surface analysis at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Computational characterization uses first-principles methods popularized by Walter Kohn and Giulio Natta-linked density functional theory codes developed at Argonne National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Applications and technological uses

Quasicrystalline materials have been applied as non-stick coatings commercialized by 3M and evaluated for thermal barrier coatings by NASA, corrosion-resistant components by Alcoa, and wear-resistant surfaces in Siemens collaborations. Potential uses include hydrogen storage studies at Brookhaven National Laboratory, photonic quasicrystal devices inspired by Eli Yablonovitch's work, thermoelectric research at EPFL, and reinforcement phases in composite materials explored by Dow Chemical Company and BASF.

Theoretical models and mathematical foundations

Mathematical underpinnings draw on Roger Penrose tilings, cut-and-project methods formalized by M. de Bruijn, and ergodic theory developed by M. Herman and Ya. G. Sinai. Physics models incorporate quasicrystalline band theories influenced by Philip W. Anderson and statistical mechanics frameworks used by Lars Onsager-lineage researchers. Computational models utilize algorithms from John Conway and number-theoretic insights by Harald Bohr and C. J. E. Bombieri implemented in codes at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Category:Materials science