Direct observation of solid-state reversed transformation from crystals to quasicrystals in a Mg alloy

Phase transformation of quasicrystals is of interest in various fields of science and technology. Interestingly, we directly observed unexpected solid-state epitaxial nucleation and growth of Zn6Mg3Y icosahedral quasicrystals in a Mg alloy at about 573 K which is about 300 K below the melting point...

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Main Authors:	Liu, Jian-Fang, Yang, Zhi-Qing, Ye, Heng-Qiang
Format:	Online
Language:	English
Published:	Nature Publishing Group 2015
Online Access:	https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4464364/

id	pubmed-4464364
recordtype	oai_dc
spelling	pubmed-44643642015-06-18 Direct observation of solid-state reversed transformation from crystals to quasicrystals in a Mg alloy Liu, Jian-Fang Yang, Zhi-Qing Ye, Heng-Qiang Article Phase transformation of quasicrystals is of interest in various fields of science and technology. Interestingly, we directly observed unexpected solid-state epitaxial nucleation and growth of Zn6Mg3Y icosahedral quasicrystals in a Mg alloy at about 573 K which is about 300 K below the melting point of Zn6Mg3Y, in contrast to formation of quasicrystals through solidification that was usually found in many alloys. Maximizing local packing density of atoms associated with segregation of Y and Zn in Mg adjacent to Mg/Zn3MgY interfaces triggered atomic rearrangement in Mg to form icosahedra coupled epitaxially with surface distorted icosahedra of Zn3MgY, which plays a critical role in the nucleation of icosahedral clusters. A local Zn:Mg:Y ratio close to 6:3:1, corresponding to a valence electron concentration of about 2.15, should have been reached to trigger the formation of quasicrystals at Mg/Zn3MgY interfaces. The solid-state icosahedral ordering in crystals opens a new window for growing quasicrystals and understanding their atomic origin mechanisms. Epitaxial growth of quasicrystals onto crystals can modify the surface/interface structures and properties of crystalline materials. Nature Publishing Group 2015-06-12 /pmc/articles/PMC4464364/ /pubmed/26066096 http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep09816 Text en Copyright © 2015, Macmillan Publishers Limited http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
repository_type	Open Access Journal
institution_category	Foreign Institution
institution	US National Center for Biotechnology Information
building	NCBI PubMed
collection	Online Access
language	English
format	Online
author	Liu, Jian-Fang Yang, Zhi-Qing Ye, Heng-Qiang
spellingShingle	Liu, Jian-Fang Yang, Zhi-Qing Ye, Heng-Qiang Direct observation of solid-state reversed transformation from crystals to quasicrystals in a Mg alloy
author_facet	Liu, Jian-Fang Yang, Zhi-Qing Ye, Heng-Qiang
author_sort	Liu, Jian-Fang
title	Direct observation of solid-state reversed transformation from crystals to quasicrystals in a Mg alloy
title_short	Direct observation of solid-state reversed transformation from crystals to quasicrystals in a Mg alloy
title_full	Direct observation of solid-state reversed transformation from crystals to quasicrystals in a Mg alloy
title_fullStr	Direct observation of solid-state reversed transformation from crystals to quasicrystals in a Mg alloy
title_full_unstemmed	Direct observation of solid-state reversed transformation from crystals to quasicrystals in a Mg alloy
title_sort	direct observation of solid-state reversed transformation from crystals to quasicrystals in a mg alloy
description	Phase transformation of quasicrystals is of interest in various fields of science and technology. Interestingly, we directly observed unexpected solid-state epitaxial nucleation and growth of Zn6Mg3Y icosahedral quasicrystals in a Mg alloy at about 573 K which is about 300 K below the melting point of Zn6Mg3Y, in contrast to formation of quasicrystals through solidification that was usually found in many alloys. Maximizing local packing density of atoms associated with segregation of Y and Zn in Mg adjacent to Mg/Zn3MgY interfaces triggered atomic rearrangement in Mg to form icosahedra coupled epitaxially with surface distorted icosahedra of Zn3MgY, which plays a critical role in the nucleation of icosahedral clusters. A local Zn:Mg:Y ratio close to 6:3:1, corresponding to a valence electron concentration of about 2.15, should have been reached to trigger the formation of quasicrystals at Mg/Zn3MgY interfaces. The solid-state icosahedral ordering in crystals opens a new window for growing quasicrystals and understanding their atomic origin mechanisms. Epitaxial growth of quasicrystals onto crystals can modify the surface/interface structures and properties of crystalline materials.
publisher	Nature Publishing Group
publishDate	2015
url	https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4464364/
_version_	1613234731328995328

Direct observation of solid-state reversed transformation from crystals to quasicrystals in a Mg alloy

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