Disorder in decagonal quasicrystals

Abstract

Abstract Complementary neutron and x-ray diffuse scattering may provide insight into structural super-ordering and disordering of decagonal quasicrystals (d-phases), and, in consequence, into the formation and stability of aperiodically ordered alloys. Neutron diffraction makes a contrasting almost isoelectronic atomic species possible, as well as a separation of elastic and inelastic diffuse intensity contributions. Experimental work at high temperatures is comparatively unproblematic. The method suffers, however, from the difficulty in obtaining sufficiently sized mono-grain samples and a lack of dedicated neutron diffraction instruments. Recent results, with a main focus on high-temperature (<1000°C) investigations of disordered decagonal Al—Ni—Co phases are reported and some tentative models are discussed.