The Network was funded by EPSRC (Grant
GR/N25718) in September. The overall goals of the project are to advance
the characterisation of the surface properties of quasicrystals with a
view to possible applications and to foster interest in the field with
a view to developing the UK presence in the field. The scientific objectives
are:
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To identify optimum quasicrystal materials
for coatings and sensor applications;
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To characterise the clean surface properties
of these materials, including their geometric, electronic and vibrational
structure;
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To investigate the frictional properties of
these materials in a well-characterised manner;
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To investigate the interaction of these materials
with a wide variety of atomic and molecular overlayers with a view to determining
surface reactivity and stability;
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To follow up our discovery of templating of
molecular adsorbates (C60) and investigate the properties of such two-dimensional
overlayers;
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To investigate the magnetic properties and
possible applications of the rare-earth quasicrystals (e.g.Mg-RE-Zn, RE=rare
earth=Y,Gd,Ho);
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To investigate novel methods of producing
coatings of these materials and to characterise the properties of these
coatings with a view to commercial exploitation;
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To investigate possible applications of quasicrystals
in sensor technology.
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