The diffusion of 54Mn and 59Fe was studied in icosahedral quasicrystals by using radiotracer and serial sectioning methods. It was found that the diffusion data (table 62) could be described by Arrhenius expressions of the form:

Mn:    D(m2/s) = 8.91 x 10-4exp[-1.99(eV)/kT]

Fe:     D(m2/s) = 1.63 x 10-2exp[-2.61(eV)/kT]

The results were compared with the limited amount of published data on quasicrystals, and with data on diffusion in Al and in Fe3Al. The quasicrystal data were not appreciably different to those for related crystalline materials, where a vacancy-mediated diffusion mechanism was generally thought to operate. Deviations from Arrhenius behavior, which had been predicted for phason-assisted diffusion, could not be detected.

T.Zumkley, H.Mehrer, K.Freitag, M.Wollgarten, N.Tamura, K.Urban: Physical Review B, 1996, 54[10], R6815-8