Holmium–magnesium–zinc quasicrystal

A holmium–magnesium–zinc (Ho–Mg–Zn) quasicrystal is a quasicrystal made of an alloy of the three metals holmium, magnesium and zinc that has the shape of a regular dodecahedron, a Platonic solid with 12 five-sided faces.

[1][2] Unlike the similar pyritohedron shape of some cubic-system crystals such as pyrite, this quasicrystal has faces that are true regular pentagons.

[2] Magnetically, they form a spin glass at cryogenic temperatures.

While the experimental discovery of quasicrystals dates back to the 1980s, the relatively large, single grain nature of some Ho–Mg–Zn quasicrystals has made them a popular way to illustrate the concept.

You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.This alloy-related article is a stub.