Natural quasicrystal with decagonal symmetry

Scientific Reports
Luca BindiPaul J Steinhardt

Abstract

We report the first occurrence of a natural quasicrystal with decagonal symmetry. The quasicrystal, with composition Al71Ni24Fe5, was discovered in the Khatyrka meteorite, a recently described CV3 carbonaceous chondrite. Icosahedrite, Al63Cu24Fe13, the first natural quasicrystal to be identified, was found in the same meteorite. The new quasicrystal was found associated with steinhardtite (Al38Ni32Fe30), Fe-poor steinhardtite (Al50Ni40Fe10), Al-bearing trevorite (NiFe2O4) and Al-bearing taenite (FeNi). Laboratory studies of decagonal Al71Ni24Fe5 have shown that it is stable over a narrow range of temperatures, 1120 K to 1200 K at standard pressure, providing support for our earlier conclusion that the Khatyrka meteorite reached heterogeneous high temperatures [1100 < T(K) ≤ 1500] and then rapidly cooled after being heated during an impact-induced shock that occurred in outer space 4.5 Gya. The occurrences of metallic Al alloyed with Cu, Ni, and Fe raises new questions regarding conditions that can be achieved in the early solar nebula.

References

Jun 6, 2009·Science·Luca BindiPeter J Lu
Jan 5, 2012·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Luca BindiNan Yao
Aug 11, 2012·Reports on Progress in Physics·Paul J Steinhardt, Luca Bindi
Jun 14, 2014·Nature Communications·Lincoln S HollisterPaul J Steinhardt

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Citations

Jun 15, 2016·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Paul D AsimowPaul J Steinhardt
Nov 17, 2017·Scientific Reports·J OppenheimP D Asimow
Nov 17, 2017·Scientific Reports·Julius OppenheimPaul D Asimow
Mar 2, 2016·Scientific Reports·Zhanbing HeXiuliang Ma
Aug 25, 2019·Origins of Life and Evolution of the Biosphere : the Journal of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life·Mohammad Asif IqubalSohan Jheeta
Jul 30, 2020·Reports on Progress in Physics·Luca BindiCristian Biagioni
Jun 30, 2018·Science·Sung Joon AhnJoung Real Ahn
May 21, 2020·IUCrJ·Péter Németh
Dec 20, 2015·Physical Review Letters·Felix Flicker, Jasper van Wezel
Nov 6, 2018·Scientific Reports·Luca BindiPaul J Steinhardt
May 19, 2021·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Luca BindiPaul J Steinhardt

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
scanning
transmission electron microscopy
X-ray
scanning electron microscopy
electron beam diffraction
electron microprobe

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