A team of Ames Laboratory scientists has earned national recognition for its work with quasicrystals, relatively new materials with potential as highly effective coatings for automotive and mechanical parts and frying pans.
The group received the U.S. Department of Energy's 1998 Materials Sciences Award for "Outstanding Scientific Accomplishment in Materials Chemistry" for its work in understanding the surface properties of quasicrystals. The annual awards recognize scientists at DOE laboratories for their research accomplishments.
In the late 1980s, scientists discovered that quasicrystal materials were highly resistant to wear and corrosion, and that they had low coefficients of friction -- highly desirable properties for coatings on mechanical and automotive parts.
What was lacking, though, was an understanding of why the materials exhibited these surface properties -- a shortcoming that Ames Lab researchers wanted to address.
"Five years ago, there were almost no papers in the literature concerning surface properties of quasicrystals," said Pat Thiel, director of the Lab's Materials Chemistry Program. "The Ames group has begun to lay a foundation for understanding this topic and is now internationally recognized for its efforts."
In addition to Thiel, the group includes Dan Sordelet, James Anderegg, Matt Besser, Tamara Bloomer, Alan Goldman, Cynthia Jenks, Matt Kramer and Tom Lograsso. Other collaborators include Martin Gierer from Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich, Germany, and Michel Van Hove of DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Last revision: 12/17/99 sd
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