Rare crystal shape found to increase the strength of 3D-printed metal

Researchers have found special atomic patterns called quasicrystals in 3D-printed aluminum alloys. Quasicrystals increase the strength of 3D-printed aluminum, the researchers discovered, making it possible to use in lightweight, high-strength objects such as airplane parts. Once thought impossible, quasicrystals led to a 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.