Atomic scale coexistence of periodic and quasiperiodic order in a 2-fold Al-Ni-Co decagonal quasicrystal surface

Abstract

Decagonal quasicrystals are made of pairs of atomic planes with pentagonal symmetry periodically stacked along a 10-fold axis. We have investigated the atomic structure of the 2-fold surface of a decagonal Al-Ni-Co quasicrystal using scanning tunneling microscopy. The surface consists of terraces separated by steps of heights 1.9, 4.7, 7.8, and 12.6 angstrom containing rows of atoms parallel to the 10-fold direction with an internal periodicity of 4 angstrom. The rows are arranged aperiodically, with separations that follow a Fibonacci sequence and inflation symmetry. The results indicate that the surfaces are preferentially Al-terminated and in general agreement with bulk models.