The Coming of Quasicrystal: Discovery, Principle and Application

According to the arrangement of atoms, the solid materials can be divided into the crystals and the non-crystals. Short for quasi-periodicity crystal, quasicrystal, also known as the "quasi crystal" or "mimetic crystal", is an intermediate between crystals and non-crystals. Three mathematical laws hidden in the quasicrystal are Penrose puzzles, Fibonacci sequence and golden section, and the uniqueness of quasicrystals is five rotational symmetry nonexistent in common crystals. A few quasicrystals (such as Al65Cu20Fe10Mn5, Al75Fe10Pd15) are stable phases, while most of the quasicrystals belong to the metastable products, both of which are formed largely by the method of rapid cooling. Quasicrystal materials have a very high hardness, low coefficient of friction and non-stick characteristic, of which the unique performance is successfully applied in the frying pans, razor blades and surgical tools.