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DOE OSTI · 1393354

A smectic dodecagonal quasicrystal

Metere, Alfredo·Oleynikov, Peter·Dzugutov, Mikhail·Lidin, Sven
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Abstract

In this paper, we report a solid smectic phase that exhibits dodecagonal global order. It is composed of axially stacked hexagonally ordered particle layers, and its 12-fold rotational symmetry induced by the 30° rotation of adjacent layers with respect to each other. A quasicrystal was produced in a molecular-dynamics simulation of a single-component system of particles interacting via a spherically-symmetric potential. It was formed as a result of a first-order phase transition from an isotropic liquid state that occurred under constant-density cooling. This finding implies that a similarly structured quasicrystal can possibly be produced by the same class of systems as those forming smectic-B crystals. Lastly, this quasicrystal can also be expected to arise in a system of spherically-shaped colloidal particles with appropriately tuned potential.

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36 MATERIALS SCIENCE37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY

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Metere, Alfredo, Oleynikov, Peter, Dzugutov, Mikhail, Lidin, Sven. 2016-09-01. A smectic dodecagonal quasicrystal. https://doi.org/10.1039/c6sm01832g

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36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗