In 1985, P. Ramachandra Rao and G.V.S. Sastry from the National Metallurgical Laboratory (NML), Jamshedpur (now in Jharkhand) made a significant discovery in the field of materials science. They identified a new class of quasicrystals composed of aluminium (Al), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn).
Quasicrystals: These are structures that exhibit long-range order but lack periodicity, unlike conventional crystals.
Significance: Their work contributed to the growing field of non-periodic materials, which challenged traditional views in crystallography.
Applications: Quasicrystals are known for properties like low thermal conductivity, high hardness, and resistance to corrosion, making them useful in coatings, aerospace, and non-stick materials.
This discovery came shortly after Dan Shechtman (1984) first reported quasicrystals in aluminium-manganese alloys, for which he later won the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The work of Rao and Sastry further expanded the understanding of quasicrystalline structures, especially in Al-Mn-Zn systems.
Their contributions remain a notable milestone in Indian metallurgical and materials science research.
