Striving towards Excellence

-Karthik Gurumurthy

Nobel prize for Chemistry for this year will be given to Dan Shechtman, an Israeli scientist born in 1941. His groundbreaking discovery involved quasicrystals, a type of material that defied the existing understanding of crystalline structures.

Here's a brief breakdown:

• Education: Ph.D. in Materials Science from Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (1972)
• Discovery: Quasicrystals, materials with long-range atomic order but lacking the periodic repetition of conventional crystals. Initially met with skepticism due to their challenging established scientific beliefs.

With their diverse properties, quasicrystals hold promise in various fields:

• Materials science: Quasicrystalline alloys are being explored for strengthening materials like turbine blades and cutting tools due to their hardness and wear resistance. Additionally, their low friction and heat conductivity make them suitable for coatings and thermal management applications.
• Optics: The unique electronic structure of some quasicrystals makes them potentially useful for developing photonic devices like LEDs and solar cells. Their ability to diffract light in unique ways might lead to novel optical applications.
• Electronics: Research is ongoing to explore the use of quasicrystals in transistors and other electronic components due to their tunable electronic properties. They could pave the way for new, more efficient electronic devices.
• Biomedical applications: Some quasicrystals exhibit biocompatibility, making them potentially suitable for implants and medical devices. Their unique surface properties could also be beneficial for designing drug delivery systems.