Types of Quasicrystals

quasiperiodic in two dimensions (polygonal or dihedral quasicrystals)

There is one periodic direction perpendicular to the quasiperodic layers.

• octagonal quasicrystals with local 8-fold symmetry [primitive & body-centered lattices]
• decagonal quasicrystals with local 10-fold symmetry [primitive lattice]
• dodecagonal quasicrystals with local 12-fold symmetry [primitive lattice]

quasiperiodic in three dimensions, no periodic direction

• icosahedral quasicrystals (axes:12x5-fold, 20x3-fold, 30x2-fold) [primitive, body-centered & face-centered lattices]

new type (reported in Nature, Nov.2000)

• "icosahedral" quasicrystal with broken symmetry (stable binary Cd_5.7Yb)