How did X-ray studies help confirm the existence of quasicrystals?

X-ray studies were instrumental in confirming the existence of quasicrystals by providing the definitive structural evidence needed to convince a skeptical scientific community.

While Daniel Shechtman initially discovered quasicrystals in 1982 using electron microscopy, many crystallographers remained unconvinced because the observed fivefold symmetry contradicted established rules of crystallography, which held that such symmetry was impossible in periodic structures.1

The validation of these findings occurred in 1987, when scientists in France and Japan successfully produced quasicrystals large enough to be examined using X-ray diffraction. Because X-rays are a standard and highly reliable tool for determining the internal atomic arrangements of solids, these experiments provided the necessary proof that the materials possessed long-range order despite their aperiodic, quasiperiodic nature. This confirmation helped resolve the paradox between the observed rotational symmetry and the lack of translational periodicity, ultimately leading to the widespread scientific acceptance of quasicrystals.1234