2009/06/04 by Luca Bindi, Paul J. Steinhardt, Nan Yao +1 · 9 citations
Chemistry · Earth and Planetary Sciences · Materials Science · #Chemistry #Condensed matter physics #Crystallography #Geometry #Icosahedral symmetry #Materials science #Micrometer #Mineralogy and Gemology Studies #Optics #Physics #Quasicrystal #Quasicrystal Structures and Properties #Symmetry (geometry) #X-ray Diffraction in Crystallography
paper · doi:10.1126/science.1170827
openalex publication_date 2009/06/04 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
Quasicrystals are solids whose atomic arrangements have symmetries that are forbidden for periodic crystals, including configurations with fivefold symmetry. All examples identified to date have been synthesized in the laboratory under controlled conditions. Here we present evidence of a naturally occurring icosahedral quasicrystal that includes six distinct fivefold symmetry axes. The mineral, an alloy of aluminum, copper, and iron, occurs as micrometer-sized grains associated with crystalline khatyrkite and cupalite in samples reported to have come from the Koryak Mountains in Russia. The results suggest that quasicrystals can form and remain stable under geologic conditions, although there remain open questions as to how this mineral formed naturally.