Found by materials research engineer Andrew Iams when he noticed something highly unusual while examining a sliver of a newly developed aluminium alloy under his electron microscope. At the atomic scale, the atoms appeared arranged in a remarkably unique pattern resembling quasicrystals.
“That’s when I started to get excited,” said Iams, “because I thought I might be looking at a quasicrystal.” However, Andrew Iams intuition proved correct. Iams and his team at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) not only confirmed the presence of quasicrystals in the aluminium alloy but also discovered that these complex structures contribute to enhancing its strength. Their groundbreaking findings have been published in the Journal of Alloys and Compounds.
The alloy took shape under the intense conditions of metal 3D printing, an advanced technique for manufacturing metal components. By understanding this aluminium alloy at the atomic level, researchers can unlock an entirely new class of 3D-printed parts—ranging from aircraft components and heat exchangers to car chassis. This discovery also paves the way for future research into aluminium alloys that harness quasicrystals to boost strength and performance.
