Striped twisted state in the orientational epitaxy on quasicrystals

TL;DR

This paper predicts and confirms the existence of a unique striped twisted state in epitaxial layers on quasicrystals, revealing a novel anisotropic interface structure with potential tribomechanical implications.

Contribution

It introduces an analytical prediction and numerical validation of a new striped twisted state in epitaxy on quasicrystals, highlighting its distinct structure and properties.

Findings

Analytical prediction of nonzero misfit angle in quasicrystal epitaxy

Numerical confirmation using colloid monolayers on quasiperiodic lattices

Discovery of a stripe pattern in the twisted state

Abstract

The optimal "twisted" geometry of a crystalline layer on a crystal is long known, but that on a quasicrystal is still unknown and open. We predict analytically that the layer equilibrium configuration will generally exhibit a nonzero misfit angle. The theory perfectly agrees with numerical optimization of a colloid monolayer on a quasiperiodic decagonal optical lattice. Strikingly different from crystal-on-crystal epitaxy, the structure of the novel emerging twisted state exhibits an unexpected stripe pattern. Its high anisotropy should reflect on the tribomechanical properties of this unconventional interface.