The chemists from Brown University have created a quasicrystal based on a tetrahedral-shaped quantum dot. For the discovery of this lattice structure, parts of which are not similar to each other, Dan Shechtman in 2011 received the Nobel Prize, writes ScienceAlert.

Crystals are repetitive structures based on the possible symmetry of the elements of which they are composed. Parts of quasicrystals, on the contrary, are not similar to each other, and for a long time such materials have been considered “impossible”.

However, after Shechtman received the Nobel Prize for their discovery, the quasicrystals began to be considered as one of the most promising materials - for example, they can be used to create new types of non-stick and anti-corrosion coatings, as well as to develop reflective camouflage.

Now researchers have created a quasicrystal based on a trapezoid-shaped quantum dot. The particles in such a crystal are formed into structures that are not similar to each other.

Earlier, the chemists from Moscow State University found a way to produce photonic crystals cheaper and with high accuracy - one of the most important components for an optical computer.