| Scope |
Most intermetallic compounds adopt complex and aperiodic structure types, hallmarked by their extremely large unit cells and extensive crystallographic disorder. Quasicrystals are the quintessential example of crystal complexity: they possess long-range positional order but classically forbidden orientational order. Despite their frequent observation in both metallic alloys and soft matter structures in the 40 years since their discovery, little is known about the way in which they emerge from a liquid, amorphous, or crystalline precursor.
While multiple kinetic models have been proposed, such models remain unverified due to the prior lack of experimental and computational probes. We now have suitable probes in hand. This symposium will integrate theory, state-of-the-art characterization techniques, and multi-scale modelling approaches in order to achieve a comprehensive picture of the formation and transformation pathways of complex intermetallics. Topics include structure models; surfaces and overlayers; growth and stability; defect generation; and soft matter analogues. |