D20-shaped Quasicrystal Makes High-Strength Alloy Printable
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Summary
A team from the US’s National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) has discovered quasi-crystals, paradoxical forms of metal, in some 3D printed aluminium-zirconium alloys.
Crystals are made up of a regular arrangement of atoms, but quasi-crystals do not repeat their structures perfectly in three dimensions.
Found in the 1980s, they are rare in nature and this is the first time they have been found in a 3D-printed alloy.
The symmetry of quasi-crystals means they do not propagate cracks and blemishes as easily as regular crystals.
The team’s discovery means aluminium and other alloys could be deliberately designed to contain quasi-crystals to avoid cracking and improve strength.
