Reciprocal space mapping of ZnMgY face-centred icosahedral quasicrystals

Abstract

The reciprocal lattice of face-centred icosahedral ZnMgY quasicrystals was investigated using X-ray diffractometry. A large-scale planar cut of the reciprocal ZnMgY lattice was recorded making use of a PIXcel area detector. The θ-2θ scans along the C5, C3 and C2 symmetry axes revealed numerous diffraction peaks with a large dynamical range of about 106. Low structure-factor diffraction peaks, corresponding to large complementary reciprocal lattice vectors g┴ up to g┴a = 24 (where a is the quasilattice constant), were observed, indicating a high structural quality of ZnMgY quasicrystals. A static linear phason strain was detected in one of the five investigated ZnMgY samples.