Spatially Localized Quasicrystals

TL;DR

This paper explores the formation and properties of spatially localized quasicrystals in soft matter using a phase field crystal model, revealing metastable structures that influence crystallization dynamics.

Contribution

It introduces the first detailed study of localized quasicrystals in soft matter, including three-dimensional icosahedral and two-dimensional dodecagonal structures, using a two-scale phase field crystal model.

Findings

Localized quasicrystals are metastable and energetically locally favored.

Spatially localized icosahedral quasicrystals are found in three dimensions.

Various families of localized dodecagonal quasicrystals are computed in two dimensions.

Abstract

We investigate quasicrystal-forming soft matter using a two-scale phase field crystal model. At state points near thermodynamic coexistence between bulk quasicrystals and the liquid phase, we find multiple metastable spatially localized quasicrystals embedded in a background of liquid. In three dimensions we obtain spatially localized icosahedral quasicrystals. In two dimensions, we compute several families of spatially localized quasicrystals with dodecagonal structure and investigate their properties as a function of the system parameters. In both cases the localized quasicrystals are metastable, and so correspond to energetically locally favored structures. The presence of such structures is expected to crucially affect the dynamics of the crystallization process.