Magnetic Properties of Quasicrystalline Materials

Quasicrystalline materials combine long‐range order with aperiodicity, giving rise to magnetic phenomena that diverge from those of periodic crystals. Unlike conventional lattices, quasicrystals may host non‐periodic arrangements of magnetic ions that frustrate simple antiferromagnetic or ferromagnetic alignments. This frustration, together with local environments of high symmetry—often icosahedral—can stabilise exotic spin textures, including spin‐glass behaviour, nonreciprocal excitations and topologically charged arrangements such as hedgehog and whirling states. Rare‐earth elements in quasicrystals introduce strong spin–orbit coupling and crystal‐field effects, producing multipolar degrees of freedom beyond simple dipoles. Experimental reports of true long‐range magnetic order in icosahedral quasicrystals challenge the earlier view that aperiodicity precludes conventional magnetic transitions. Approximant crystals—periodic siblings with clusters mimicking quasicrystalline units—serve as vital models to disentangle the influence of local symmetry, chemical disorder and global aperiodicity on magnetic ordering. Together, these developments underscore the potential of quasicrystalline materials for applications in spintronics and topological magnetism, where control over nontrivial spin textures and anisotropic excitations is paramount.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Studies of a 1/1 icosahedral approximant have revealed nonreciprocal magnetic excitations associated with a uniform hedgehog spin order. Breaking of inversion symmetry by the hedgehog arrangement leads to directional dependence in the dispersion of magnetic modes, offering insight into topological charge dynamics in aperiodic environments.

Microscopic analysis of a terbium‐based icosahedral quasicrystal has demonstrated that crystalline electric‐field anisotropy can stabilise long‐range hedgehog and whirling‐moment textures. Control over non‐rare‐earth composition enables reversible switching between these topological states, highlighting the tunability of magnetic charges in quasicrystalline lattices.

Magnetic Properties of Quasicrystalline Materials publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in magnetic properties of quasicrystalline materials across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Quasicrystal: A solid with long‐range order but lacking periodic translational symmetry.

Approximant: A periodic crystal whose local atomic clusters replicate those of a quasicrystal.

Hedgehog order: A topological spin configuration in which magnetic moments radiate from a central point.

Multipole moment: A magnetic excitation described by higher‐order terms (e.g., quadrupole, octupole) beyond the dipole.

Crystal‐field splitting: The energy separation of electronic levels due to the electrostatic environment of surrounding ions.

Spin‐glass behaviour: A disordered magnetic state characterised by frozen, randomly oriented spins and lack of long‐range order.

References

1. Magnetic dynamics and nonreciprocal excitation in uniform hedgehog order in icosahedral 1/1 approximant crystal. Scientific Reports (2023).
2. Magnetism and topology in Tb-based icosahedral quasicrystal. Scientific Reports (2021).
3. Unveiling multipole physics and frustration of icosahedral magnetic quasicrystals. npj Quantum Materials (2024).
4. Experimental Observation of Long-Range Magnetic Order in Icosahedral Quasicrystals. Journal of the American Chemical Society (2021).
5. Effect of pseudo-Tsai cluster incorporation on the magnetic structures of R-Au-Si (R=Tb,Ho) quasicrystal approximants. Physical Review B (2022).