What is a Quasicrystal?

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According to a recent study, Scientists have discovered a new type of one with 12-fold symmetry, in the Sand Hills of north central Nebraska, USA.

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GS III: Science and Technology

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Quasicrystal is a substance that is crystal-like, but with atoms arranged in a pattern that does not repeat itself regularly.
Prior to the discovery of quasicrystals, it was believed that every crystalline arrangement of atoms must have a pattern that repeats itself.

In 1982, material scientist Dan Shechtman discovered quasicrystals while studying diffraction patterns produced by X-rays passing through the crystals. He noted a regular diffraction pattern that did not match any periodically repeated structure.
Since then, quasicrystals have been created in labs and found to possess unique electrical, photonic, and mechanical properties that are not found in other materials.
They are used in manufacturing non-stick frying pans, needles for acupuncture and surgery, dental instruments, and razor blades.

The new study found a quasicrystal in a wind-created dune in the Sand Hills of Nebraska, which is only the third time that scientists have discovered a quasicrystal in nature.
The quasicrystal was created by an electrical discharge from a lightning strike or downed power line, which produced extreme temperatures (more than 1,710 degree Celsius) that led to the formation of a tube of fused and melted sand called a fulgurite.
The new quasicrystal was found inside a tubular piece of fulgurite, and it has a dodecagonal or 12-sided atomic structure, which is quite unusual compared to previously found quasicrystals and lab-grown ones, which have five-fold symmetric patterns.
The study suggests that the discovery of a quasicrystal in a wind-created dune opens up possibilities for finding quasicrystals in other locations and for synthesizing them in the laboratory.

-Source: Indian Express