Discussion of the Surface Science of Quasicrystals

Patricia Thiel (1)

1 Department of Chemistry [Ames, Iowa]

This paper contains a short review of four aspects the surface science of quasicrystals, together with a challenging list of open questions to be addressed by the scientific community in the near future. The first issue concerns the ability of surface science to shed light on bulk atomic structure. The second is the use of surfaces as quasiperiodic templates, particularly for films of periodic metals. Here, enforcing quasiperiodicity in the film may lead to unusual magnetic, tribological, or adsorption properties. The third concerns the effects of surface phasons and phonons on dynamical interactions with adsorbates, such as sticking coefficient, as well as on diffusion between the surface and near-surface region. The final area is tribology, where studies of quasicrystals have suggested that both adhesion and phononic friction may be important.

Mots clés: Physical Sciences

Patricia Thiel. Discussion of the Surface Science of Quasicrystals. Philosophical Magazine, 2008, 88 (13-15), pp.2123-2129. ⟨10.1080/14786430802186973⟩. ⟨hal-00513904⟩