New kind of dodecagonal quasicrystal

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of a new dodecagonal quasicrystal structure formed in simulations, characterized by 12-fold symmetry from stacked hexagonal layers, suggesting potential experimental realizations.

Contribution

It introduces a novel dodecagonal quasicrystal formed in a simple particle system via molecular dynamics, previously unobserved and unpredicted.

Findings

New dodecagonal quasicrystal structure identified

Formed through first-order phase transition in simulations

Potential for experimental realization in colloidal systems

Abstract

We report a novel kind of dodecagonal quasicrystal that has so far never been observed, nor theoretically predicted. It is composed of axially stacked hexagonal particle layers, with 12-fold rotational symmetry induced by 30 degrees rotation of adjacent layers with respect to each other. The quasicrystal was produced in a molecular-dynamics simulation of a single-component system of particles interacting via a spherically-symmetric potential, as a result of a first-order phase transition from a liquid phase under constant-density cooling. This finding implies that a similarly structured quasicrystal can possibly be produced by the mesogens of the kind that produce smectic-B crystals and in a system of spherically-shaped colloidal particles with appropriately tuned potential.