Interface-driven formation of a two-dimensional dodecagonal fullerene quasicrystal.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 28530242.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/ncomms15367 and PMC identifier 5458153.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Since their discovery, quasicrystals have attracted continuous research interest due to their unique structural and physical properties. Recently, it was demonstrated that dodecagonal quasicrystals could be used as bandgap materials in next-generation photonic devices. However, a full understanding of the formation mechanism of quasicrystals is necessary to control their physical properties. Here we report the formation of a two-dimensional dodecagonal fullerene quasicrystal on a Pt<sub>3</sub>Ti(111) surface, which can be described in terms of a square-triangle tiling. Employing density functional theory calculations, we identify the complex adsorption energy landscape of the Pt-terminated Pt<sub>3</sub>Ti surface that is responsible for the quasicrystal formation. We demonstrate the presence of quasicrystal-specific phason strain, which provides the degree of freedom required to accommodate the quasicrystalline structure on the periodic substrate. Our results reveal detailed insight into an interface-driven formation mechanism and open the way to the creation of tailored fullerene quasicrystals with specific physical properties.