Nobel Prize for Quasicrystal Space Discovery

Posted in Industry News on 6th January 2012

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Daniel Shechtman first discovered these unusual crystals in 1982. Other scientists thought the idea of quasicrystals ridiculous as they break every rule of what a crystal is. His battle to prove their existence was long and drawn out, but throughout this time he continued his research to confirm that his discovery was real.

Firstly, he created quasicrystals under laboratory conditions - cooling molten metals by squirting the mixture onto a cold surface. Shechtman also sent electron waves through molten metal made up of aluminium and manganese to test how the wave diffracted according to the metals atoms.

It was during such experiments that he saw the new crystal that was made up of unrepeated and unordered units. Crystals are usually found with a regular structure that is precisely repeated. Soon other scientists claimed that they too had seen this new crystal structure that defies all other research and features that make up a typical crystal.

Following the discovery, other quasicrystals have been formed in labs, but naturally formed samples have also been found in minerals in the Russian Koryak Mountains. The mineral contained aluminium, copper and iron and indicated that the quasicrystal structure could form and remain stable under natural conditions.

It is believed that their arrival was in meteorites as the oxygen isotope patterns are like no other mineral found on Earth. Research shows that their structure is similar to that of carbonaceous chondrite - a type of meteorite. These samples also contained a type of silica. As this is only formed at very high pressures, it suggests that the mineral was formed in the Earth's mantle or through high-velocity impact.

The years of scepticism certainly paid off for Shechtman. His discovery and persistence are a real triumph for science, and his efforts were clearly noted when he won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2011.

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