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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Methods of Ex Situ and In Situ Investigations of Structural Transformations: The Case of Crystallization of Metallic Glasses
Published on: June 7, 2018
Diffuse scattering and phason fluctuations in the Zn-Mg-Sc icosahedral quasicrystal and its Zn-Sc periodic
M de Boissieu1, S Francoual, Y Kaneko
1Laboratoire de Thermodynamique et de Physico-Chimie Métallurgique, UMR CNRS 5614, ENSEEG-INPG, Saint Martin d'Hères, France. boissieu@Itpcm.inpg.fr
Abstract:
We report on the absolute scale measurement of the x-ray diffuse scattering in the ZnMgSc icosahedral quasicrystal and its periodic approximant. Whereas the diffuse scattering in the approximant is purely accounted for by thermal diffuse scattering, an additional signal is observed in the quasicrystal. It is related to phason fluctuations as indicated by its Q(2)(per) dependence. Moreover, when compared to previous measurements carried out on the i-AlPdMn phase, we find that the amount of diffuse scattering is smaller in the i-ZnMgSc phase, in agreement with larger phason elastic constants in this phase. This is confirmed by the observation of a large number of weak Bragg peaks having a high Q(per) reciprocal space component.
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