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Science 27 November 1987:
Vol. 238. no. 4831, pp. 1242 - 1247
DOI: 10.1126/science.238.4831.1242
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Articles

Icosahedral Solids: A New Phase of Matter?

PAUL J. STEINHARDT 1

1 Department of Physics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104.

Numerous examples of metallic alloys have been discovered, the atomic structures of which display an icosahedral symmetry that is impossible for ordinary periodic crystals. Recent experimental results support the hypothesis that the alloys are examples of a new "quasicrystal" phase of solid matter. Observed deviations from an ideal quasicrystal structure can be explained as "phason strains," a special class of defects predicted to be the dominant type of imperfection formed during solidification.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Icosahedral Symmetry.
L. PAULING (1988)
Science 239, 963
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)