3-DIMENSIONAL MODEL OF QUASI-CRYSTALLINE ATOMIC-STRUCTURE

A three-dimensional model of quasicrystalline atomic structure is prop osed. The model originates from a 33-atom dodecahedral cluster and inv olves a strategy allowing us to progressively increase the size of the system using only three basic clusters as building blocks. The struct ure obtained is characterized simultaneously by dense local atomic pac king and by global quasicrystalline properties (intrinsic icosahedral symmetry, the absence of translational order, and self-similarity at d ifferent length scales). A 439-atom computer model has been built foll owing the proposed strategy and has demonstrated the possibility to co mbine global quasicrystalline symmetry with a reasonable local packing of atoms. Tn order to elucidate the hierarchical nature of the long-r ange order in the proposed model, it is also analyzed using the discli nation network approach.