In the latest Solid State Technology magazine there is a great article about the Nobel Prize in chemistry being awarded being awarded to Dan Shechtman. Subscribing to the Solid State Technology magazine is free as long as you are in USA, if you are outside the USA you can subscribe to the digital version. Hacked Gadgets does receive a small payment for each subscription to any of our Free Magazine Subscriptions so we appreciate the support from all who subscribe to the free magazines that we offer.

“The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Dan Shechtman, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel, for the discovery of quasicrystals.

Shechtman discovered the solid-matter arrangement in April 1982, using an electron microscope. Until his research, all solid-matter atoms were believed to be packed inside crystals in symmetrical patterns that were repeated periodically. Scientists considered this repetition required in order to obtain a crystal.

Shechtman showed that the atoms in his crystal were packed in a pattern that followed mathematical rules but could not be repeated. The controversial findings led to Shechtman being asked to leave his research group. However, his battle eventually forced scientists to reconsider their conception of the very nature of matter.

Shechtman’s quasicrystals are now described by “the golden ratio;” the ratio of various distances between quasicrystal atoms is related to the golden mean.”