X-ray diffraction studies of the atomic arrangements in various intermetallic compounds containing aluminum, rare earths, or other metals are being carried out. Each material presents some interesting challenges.
Some materials exhibit twinning, some are high temperature phases, and some have large unit cells.
Of particular interest are the quasicrystalline phases which exhibit symmetries forbidden in crystalline structures. Methods for the study of the structures of these strange materials are being developed. In addition to X-ray diffraction techniques, synchrotron radiation studies are frequently employed to characterize them.