Quasicrystal-Crystal Transformation in Zn-Mg–Rare-Earth Alloys

Abstract
We report a reversible phase transformation between the icosahedral Zn-Mg–rare-earth(RE) quasicrystal and the hexagonal crystal being not composed of any giant icosahedral atomic cluster. This clearly shows that the large atomic cluster is not an essential atomic configuration for quasicrystal formation. A structural unit of the Zn-Mg-RE icosahedral quasicrystal is suggested to be not an icosahedral atomic cluster such as the Mackay or Bergman type which have been successfully used for the structural description of the Al-based icosahedral quasicrystalline phases.