The work of Daniel Shechtman has opened the door for experiments in the use of the quasicrystals, which he discovered, in everything from diesel engines to frying pans. 

In 1982, Schechtman was using electron diffraction experiments to directly reveal the symmetry and other structural details of metal samples. Working at the National Bureau of Standards in Gaithersburg, Maryland, he discovered a rapidly cooled alloy of aluminum and manganese that showed the forbidden five-fold symmetry. The surprising symmetry appeared in one direction, in which his data showed electron diffraction spots arranged in concentric rings with ten spots each, whereas in other directions, the rings contained six spots, indicating a conventional six-fold symmetry. Overall, the symmetry of the diffraction pattern was exactly that of an icosahedron.

Dov Levine and Paul Steinhardt published a paper in Physical Review Letters that resolved the mystery of a crystal with five-fold symmetry and introduced the term "quasicrystal". The icosahedral symmetry was permitted, they said, as long as the structure was only "quasi-periodic."

Over the last three decades, hundreds of quasicrystals have been synthesised in laboratories and, two years ago, scientists reported the first naturally occurring quasicrystals in a mineral sample from Russia containing aluminium, copper and iron. Quasicrystals are very hard and are also bad conductors of heat and electricity, making them useful as so-called thermoelectric materials, which convert heat into electricity. They also have non-stick surfaces. Potential uses include surface coatings for frying pans, components for energy-saving light-emitting diodes (LED) and heat insulation in engines.

The Prize amount: SEK 10 million.