Transformation of the two-dimensional decagonal quasicrystal to one-dimensional quasicrystals: A phason strain analysis

New type of Al-based decagonal quasicrystal in Al60Cr20Fe10Si10 alloy

A new kind of decagonal quasicrystal (DQC) with a periodicity of 1.23 nm was observed in the as-cast quaternary Al60Cr20Fe10Si10 alloy. The intensity distribution of some spots in the selected-area electron diffraction pattern along the tenfold zone axis was found to be different from other Al-based DQCs. High-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy was adopted to reveal the structural features at an atomic level. Both the tenfold symmetry and symmetry-broken decagonal (D) clusters of 1.91 nm in diameter were found, but with structural characteristics different from the corresponding D clusters in the other Al-based DQCs. The neighboring D clusters are connected by sharing one edge rather than covering, suggesting the tiling model is better than the covering model for structural description.

Non-centro-symmetric electron diffraction pattern of icosahedral quasicrystal induced by combination of linear phason strain and curvature of Ewald sphere

Non-centro-symmetric characteristics are observed in the experimental electron diffraction patterns (EDPs) from the icosahedral quasicrystalline precipitates in ZrAlNiCuNb alloys. Different from the well-known breaking of the Friedel's law, where a strong dynamical effect will reveal in EDPs the concealed non-centro-symmetry originated from the crystal structures themselves, the current results can be interpreted in terms of changes in deviation parameters due to a delicate combination of the linear phason strain characteristic of quasicrystals and the curvature of Ewald sphere. After taking this effect into consideration, the corresponding simulated EDPs fit quite well to the experimental data.