Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 March 2011
The relationship between approximant structures and quasicrystals is discussed on the example of quantitatively known decagonal quasicrystal and approximant structures in the thoroughly studied system Al-Co-Ni. The binary Al-Co as well as the ternary Al-Co-Ni approximants consist of the same basic pentagonal bipyramidal structure elements as the decagonal phase. The binary Al-Ni approximants, on the other hand, are vacancy ordered superstructures of the AlNi §-phase, which itself is related to the periodic average structure of decagonal Al-Co-Ni. Thus, the decagonal phase may be considered as a compromise between the competing driving forces to form pentagonal structural units on the one side and vacancy ordered superstructures of the AlNi §-phase on the other side. The broad stability range of decagonal Al-Co-Ni can be interpreted in terms of entropy gain by Co/Ni substitutional disorder and phasonic disorder of a part of the Al atoms.