Nobel Prize for Chemistry, 2011

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2011 was awarded to Daniel Shechtman "for the discovery of quasicrystals,a mosaic-like chemical structure that researchers previously thought was impossible.Contrary to the previous belief that atoms were packed inside crystals in symmetrical patterns, Prof. Shechtman showed that the atoms in a crystal could be packed in a pattern that could not be repeated.

Despite being very hard, quasicrystals can fracture easily, like glass. Due to their unique atomic structure, they are also bad conductors of heat and electricity, and have non-stick surfaces. Their poor thermal transport properties may make them useful as so-called thermoelectric materials, which convert heat into electricity. The main purpose of developing such materials is to reuse waste heat, for example, from cars and trucks.Today, scientists also experiment with quasicrystals in surface coatings for frying pans, in components for energy-saving light-emitting diodes (LED), and for heat insulation in engines, among other things.