Quasicrystals are an interesting thing. Basically all common crystals can be represented by translation of a small unit cell in 3D space. OTOH quasicrystals are structured forms of matter which cannot be represented by repetition of such unit cell. These materials show some interesting elastic properties and diffraction patterns. Quasicrystalline coatings have low friction coefficient (similar to Teflon) and can be potentially used in cookware [1].

[1] - http://www.springerlink.com/content/134r413766433207/

I recommend reading about Shechtman's discovery not just for its beauty but also for the story of his persistence.

The Globe and Mail has the background story : http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/science/israe...

He is the 10th Israeli to win the prize.

...and the Ig Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Makoto Imai, Naoki Urushihata, Hideki Tanemura, Yukinobu Tajima, Hideaki Goto, Koichiro Mizoguchi and Junichi Murakami of JAPAN, for determining the ideal density of airborne wasabi (pungent horseradish) to awaken sleeping people in case of a fire or other emergency, and for applying this knowledge to invent the wasabi alarm.

REFERENCE: US patent application 2010/0308995 A1. Filing date: Feb 5, 2009.

http://www.improbable.com