Direct confirmation of the quasicrystalline structure of aT-phase quasicrystal by ion channeling combined with Rutherford backscattering

Abstract

The channeling properties of a T-phase ${\mathrm{Al}}_{62}$ ${\mathrm{Cu}}_{20}$ ${\mathrm{Co}}_{15}$ ${\mathrm{Si}}_3$ quasicrystal are investigated in a Rutherford-backscattering study using 2-MeV He- ions. Besides axial channeling along the decagonal axis, planar channeling is observed in planes having the decagonal axis in common and showing the decagonal symmetry of the quasicrystal. Besides a system of main planes, various planes exhibiting only weak channeling properties are observed; they correspond to linear arrangements of vertices in a two-dimensional Penrose grid, demonstrating the close relationship between T-phase quasicrystals and Penrose pattern.