Journal of Crystal Growth, Vol.297, No.1, 157-160, 2006
Topologically linked crystals
We discovered a new class of topological crystals, namely linked rings of crystals. Two rings of tantalum triselenide (TaSe3) single crystals were linked to each other while crystal growing. The topology of the crystal form is called a "Hopf link", which is the simplest link involving just two component unknots linked together exactly once. The feature of the crystals is not covered by the conventional crystallography. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords:growth models;low-dimensional structures;growth from vapor;single crystal growth;inorganic compounds;sulfides