Theoretical dodechehedron nanoscale quasi-crystals. Source.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2011 to
Dan Shechtman
Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
“for the discovery of quasicrystals”
From the Press Release:
In quasicrystals, we find the fascinating mosaics of the Arabic world reproduced at the level of atoms: regular patterns that never repeat themselves. However, the configuration found in quasicrystals was considered impossible, and Dan Shechtman had to fight a fierce battle against established science. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2011 has fundamentally altered how chemists conceive of solid matter.
More Info:
At Nobelprize.org page
Advanced Information at nobelprize.org (pdf)
Wikipedia entry: Quasicrystal
Entry at Cornell Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics
