In 1982, a metal revealed a 10-fold structure scientists thought was impossible and ended up rewriting crystal science
Dan Shechtman found a forbidden pattern while looking at an aluminium alloy through an electron microscope. Image credit – Wikimedia When Dan Shechtman analysed the aluminium-manganese alloy rapidly cooled in April 1982 through a transmission electron microscope, the materials scientist found something unusual. The diffraction pattern on the metal revealed the tenfold symmetry, a structure…