QUASI-CRYSTALS - AN ELECTRON PHASE

The possibility of extending the nearly free electron model to interpret the stability of the quasicrystalline state was tested by analysing X-ray or neutron diffraction data from 32 alloys based on aluminium and various transition metals, noble metals, or simple metals. The validity of the picture is discussed, with reference to recent measurements of the electronic properties of the icosahedral state. The agreement between model predictions and experimental data for the large set of systems considered allows the conclusion that materials in a quasicrystalline state constitute a new specific electron phase.