Electrical discharge triggers quasicrystal formation in an eolian dune

Abstract

We report the discovery of a dodecagonal quasicrystal Mn 72.3 Si 15.6 Cr 9.7 Al 1.8 Ni 0.6 —composed of a periodic stacking of atomic planes with quasiperiodic translational order and 12-fold symmetry along the two directions perpendicular to the planes—accidentally formed by an electrical discharge event in an eolian dune in the Sand Hills near Hyannis, Nebraska, United States. The quasicrystal, coexisting with a cubic crystalline phase with composition Mn 68.9 Si 19.9 Ni 7.6 Cr 2.2 Al 1.4 , was found in a fulgurite consisting predominantly of fused and melted sand along with traces of melted conductor metal from a nearby downed power line. The fulgurite may have been created by a lightning strike that combined sand with material from downed power line or from electrical discharges from the downed power line alone. Extreme temperatures of at least 1,710 °C were reached, as indicated by the presence of SiO 2 glass in the sample. The dodecagonal quasicrystal is an example of a quasicrystal of any kind formed by electrical discharge, suggesting other places to search for quasicrystals on Earth or in space and for synthesizing them in the laboratory.

Permanently Polarized Materials: An Approach for Designing Materials with Customized Electrical Properties

“…Indeed, extrapolation from p-HAp indicates that the permanent state is tightly related to the generation of dipole moments and crystal lattice refinements. Within this context, it is worth mentioning the recent study Bindi et al, 98 reporting the generation of a quasi-crystal accidentally obtained by the discharge produced by a lightning strike. Such a result presents important similarities with both the TSP treatment and the existence of novel permanently polarized states, which might be interesting to consider for the generation of other quasicrystals, demonstrating once again the viability of the proposed hypotheses.…”

Kanatzidisite: A Natural Compound with Distinctive van der Waals Heterolayered Architecture

“…Its structure inspired the design of high-temperature superconductors with critical transition temperatures ( T c ) of up to 43 K. , Even compounds with new metal–organic frameworks (MOF) were discovered among minerals . The formation of minerals can also reveal synthetic conditions, such as when a lightning discharge over a dune in Nebraska created a novel quasicrystal of Mn 72.3 Si 15.6 Cr 9.7 Al 1.8 Ni 0.6 with 12-fold symmetry . Therefore, to expand our materials database, especially when looking for inspiration for designing novel quantum materials, crystal structures of naturally occurring minerals can be convenient and robust sources for novel semiconductors, − thermoelectrics, , superconductors, − quantum spin liquids, and topological materials. , Sulfosalts make up a large group of minerals that exhibit a unique combination of metallic and chalcogen elements.…”