Atomic clusters in decagonal Al–Cr–Fe : hexagon, star and decagon

• Main Authors: Li, Rui Tao, Boothroyd, Christopher B., Khor, Khiam Aik, Dong, Zhili
• Other Authors: School of Materials Science & Engineering
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: Science::Mathematics; Quasicrystal; Al–Cr–Fe Alloy
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/139106; https://doi.org/10.21979/N9/A4FNPW
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

In this study, the atomic arrangement of the decagonal phase in a spark-plasma-sintered Al–Cr–Fe alloy has been studied by Cs-corrected high angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF STEM) for the first time. We have found that three types of atomic clusters exist as basic structural units: star, flattened hexagon and decagon with an edge-length of 0.65 nm. These three types of units are linked to each other by sharing edges or inter-penetrating, with adjacent star clusters overlapping each other. The respective structural models of these structural units are proposed from the HAADF STEM images.