Which metal alloys commonly form quasicrystals?

Quasicrystals are commonly formed in alloys containing aluminum combined with metals such as iron, cobalt, nickel, or manganese. While aluminum is particularly prone to forming these structures, quasicrystals can also be created from other metallic combinations.12

Commonly observed quasicrystalline compounds include:

• Aluminum-based alloys: These include aluminum-copper-iron, aluminum-manganese-palladium, aluminum-magnesium-zinc, aluminum-copper-lithium, aluminum-copper-cobalt, aluminum-nickel-cobalt, and aluminum-copper-nickel.2
• Non-aluminum alloys: Some quasicrystals are formed without aluminum, such as gallium-magnesium-zinc, titanium-manganese, chromium-nickel-silicon, and vanadium-nickel-silicon.2

The discovery of these structures originated from research into aluminum-iron and aluminum-manganese alloys, which were processed using melt spinning to achieve their unique, non-repeating atomic order. These materials are of scientific interest due to their high strength and light weight, which may offer future potential in industries such as aerospace.31