Quasicrystals

Quasicrystals form a new state of solid matter beside the crystalline and the amorphous. The positions of the atoms are ordered, but with noncrystallographic rotational symmetries and in a nonperiodic way. The new structure induces unusual physical properties, promising interesting applications. This book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date review and presents most recent research results, achieved by a collaboration of physicists, chemists, material scientists and mathematicians within the Priority Programme «Quasicrystals: Structure and Physical Properties» of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). Starting from metallurgy, synthesis and characterization, the au…