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Previously unknown quasicrystal periodic approximant found in space
Luca Bindi1, Joyce Pham2, Paul J Steinhardt3,4
1Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Firenze, Via La Pira 4, I-50121, Florence, Italy. luca.bindi@unifi.it.
Scientific Reports
|November 4, 2018
Summary
Scientists discovered proxidecagonite, a new mineral and the first natural periodic crystalline approximant to decagonite. Found in a meteorite, this Al-Ni-Fe compound offers insights into high-pressure mineral formation.
Area of Science:
- Mineralogy
- Crystallography
- Materials Science
Background:
- Decagonite (Al71Ni24Fe5) is a natural quasicrystal with ten-fold symmetry.
- Quasicrystal approximants are periodic crystalline materials related to quasicrystals.
- The Al-Ni-Fe system is known to host quasicrystalline phases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report the discovery and characterization of a new mineral.
- To identify the first natural periodic crystalline approximant to decagonite.
- To investigate the formation conditions and potential stability of this new compound.
Main Methods:
- Mineralogical analysis of meteorite fragments.
- Crystallographic determination of the new compound's structure.
- Comparison with known phases in the Al-Ni-Fe system.
Main Results:
- Discovery of Al34Ni9Fe2, named proxidecagonite (IMA 2018-038).
- Proxidecagonite is the first natural periodic crystalline approximant to decagonite.
- Both minerals were found in the Khatyrka meteorite.
- Proxidecagonite exhibits pseudo-pentagonal symmetry subunits and maximizes Ni-Al contacts.
Conclusions:
- Proxidecagonite represents a significant discovery in the field of quasicrystals and their approximants.
- Its presence in a meteorite suggests potential thermodynamic stability at high pressures.
- This finding enhances our understanding of complex intermetallic compound formation under extraterrestrial conditions.
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