Review on Generalized Dynamics of Soft-Matter Quasicrystals and Its Applications

TL;DR

This review discusses the recent developments in the generalized dynamics of soft-matter quasicrystals, highlighting their unique formation mechanisms, symmetry properties, and dynamic behaviors, with potential applications in new materials science.

Contribution

It introduces a new elementary excitation called fluid phonon and develops generalized dynamic equations for soft-matter quasicrystals, expanding understanding beyond solid quasicrystals.

Findings

Identification of fluid phonon as a new excitation mode.

Derivation of governing equations for soft-matter quasicrystal dynamics.

Distinct dynamic behaviors compared to conventional fluids and solid quasicrystals.

Abstract

This article provides a detailed review on the generalized dynamics of soft-matter quasicrystals developed recent years. Comparing to solid quasicrystals consisted mainly with metallic alloys, soft-matter quasicrystals have been observed in liquid crystals, polymers, colloids, nanoparticles, and surfactants, which indicate quite different formation mechanism. Based on Landau-Anderson theory and group representation theory, we have studied the symmetry, symmetry breaking and elementary excitations for the observed and possible soft-matter quasicrystals. We further proposed one more elementary excitation: fluid phonon additional to the phonon and phason for solid quasicrystals, to quantitatively describe the dynamics of soft-matter quasicrystals. The general governing equations and the solutions of the dynamics evolution on the distribution, deformation and motion of the new phase are studied, which reveal quite distinguishing dynamic behavior with those of conventional fluids and solid quasicrystals. Some applications are introduced, which show this is an important field of new materials and materials science.