Experimental study of quasicrystals

Aperiodic ordering in quasicrystals can be three dimensional (the example of this type of ordering is a Amman-Mackey net), crystals with three dimensional ordering are called icosahedral quasicrystals. Alloys with such structure were first found by Shechtman, Gratias, Blech and Cahn in the Al-Mn alloys. Schechtman received the Nobel price for this discovery in 2011. The alloys are found with aperiodic ordering only in one direction. The possible applications of quasicrystals are determined by their properties: hardness and wearing qualities of quasicrystals are, however go together with fragility. These properties make it possible to use quasicrystals as coating, but do not allow to use it for construction. Some authors propose to use the quasicrystals as thermal barriers in turbines, tools coaling, chemical catalysts, selective light absorbers.