CDAC Webinar- “Quasicrystals Shift Nature’s Boundaries” with Prof. Luca Bindi (University of Florence)
CDAC Webinar
March 5, 2025
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
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"Quasicrystals Shift Natures Boundaries"
Luca Bindi
Department of Earth Sciences
University of Florence, Italy
Abstract: Quasicrystals, materials characterized by a quasiperiodic distribution of atoms arranged in a pattern violating the crystallographic symmetry rules that apply to ordinary (periodic) crystals, are a wonderful example of how being too uncritical of conventional wisdom may hinder research and progress in understanding the marvels of this world and beyond
In her book Purity and Danger (first published in 1966), the anthropologist Mary Douglas introduced the notion that humans tend to assign and interpret objects and situations around them to well-organized cognitive structures. She contended that the older people become, the more confidence they place in these established structures. As a result, when an individual encounters facts or tendencies that do not fit in any of the established structure, they tend to ignore them. This is what happened about 40 years ago when the first synthetic quasicrystal was discovered and about 15 years ago when the first quasicrystalline material was found in the mineral kingdom. Both discoveries were greeted with skepticism to maintain the integrity of the system. Furthermore, at least for natural materials, this skepticism was fueled by the fact that only a few occurrences of these materials were reported. Does that mean that these exotic materials must be extremely rare in the Universe?
During the talk, the author will guide the audience on a cosmic-scale excursion going from presolar materials to grains from a placer-deposit from a remote tundra, through nuclear test debris to recently formed fulgurites. Several arguments will be presented for recognizing that quasicrystals may prove to be among the most ubiquitous minerals in the Universe and, perhaps, that the quasicrystalline state could be pervasive in any material subjected to fast cooling.
Natural quasicrystals are probably the tip of an iceberg of novel materials. Our ability to discover new solids is limited only by the human imagination. The hope is that soon we will discover many new classes of novel materials that have yet to be envisioned. Mineralogy can continue to surprise us and have a profound impact on other disciplines, including cosmochemistry, condensed matter physics, solid state chemistry and materials engineering.
References
1. L. Bindi, P.J. Steinhardt, N. Yao, P. Lu (2009) Natural Quasicrystals. Science, 324, 1306-1309.
2. L. Bindi, P.J. Steinhardt, N. Yao, P. Lu (2011) Icosahedrite, Al63Cu24Fe13, the first natural quasicrystal. American Mineralogist, 96, 928-931.
3. L. Bindi, J.M. Eiler, Y. Guan, L. Hollister, G.J. MacPherson, P.J. Steinhardt, N. Yao (2012) Evidence for the extra-terrestrial origin of a natural quasicrystal. PNAS, 109, 1396-1401.
4. L.S. Hollister, L. Bindi, N. Yao, G.R. Poirier, C.L. Andronicos, G. MacPherson, C. Lin, V.V. Distler, M.P. Eddy, A. Kostin, V. Kryachko, W.M. Steinhardt, M. Yudovskaya, J.M. Eiler, Y. Guan, J.J. Clarke, P.J. Steinhardt (2014) Impact-induced shock and the formation of natural quasicrystals in the early Solar system. Nature Communications, 5, 4040.
5. L. Bindi, N. Yao, C. Lin, L.S. Hollister, C.L. Andronicos, V.V. Distler, M.P. Eddy, A. Kostin, V. Kryachko, G.J. MacPherson, W.M. Steinhardt, M. Yudovskaya, P.J. Steinhardt (2015) Natural quasicrystal with decagonal symmetry. Scientific Reports, 5, 9111.
6. P.D. Asimow, C. Lin, L. Bindi, C. Ma, O. Tschauner, L.S. Hollister, P.J. Steinhardt (2016) Shock synthesis of quasicrystals with implications for their origin in asteroid collisions. PNAS, 113, 7077-7081.
7. L. Bindi, C. Lin, C. Ma, P.J. Steinhardt (2016) Collisions in outer space produced an icosahedral phase in the Khatyrka meteorite never observed previously in the laboratory. Scientific Reports, 6, 38117.
8. L. Bindi, M. Nespolo, S. Krivovichev, G. Chapuis, C. Biagioni (2020) Producing highly complicated materials. Nature does it better. Reports on Progress in Physics, 83, 106501.
9. L. Bindi, W. Kolb, G.N. Eby, P.D. Asimow, T.C. Wallace, P.J. Steinhardt (2021) Accidental synthesis of a previously unknown quasicrystal in the first atomic bomb test. PNAS, 118, e2101350118.
10. L. Bindi, M.A. Pasek, C. Ma, J. Hu, G. Cheng, N. Yao, P.D. Asimow, P.J. Steinhardt (2023) Electrical discharge triggers quasicrystal formation in an aeolian dune. PNAS, 120, e2215484119.
Book
IUCr Springerbrief in Crystallography: Natural Quasicrystals: the Solar System’s hidden secrets, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45677-1.
Biographical Information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luca_Bindi luca.bindi@unifi.it
Upcoming and Previous CDAC Talks: https://cdac.phys.uic.edu/cdac-webinar-series/
Recorded CDAC Talks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCah_ErVY7qVCRief1WaF7hA?view_as=subscriber
Date posted
Feb 17, 2025
Date updated
Mar 3, 2025