Tianping Ying

In the crystal lattice of iron selenide, iron and selenium atoms alternate like bricks in a wall. But sometimes extra iron atoms sneak into the voids between them, like uninvited guests squeezing into the gaps between bricks.

Imagine a skyscraper assembled not from individual bricks but from entire studio apartments. That's exactly how the Au₆Te₁₂Se₈ crystal is built: its nodes are not atoms but superatomic clusters of gold and chalcogens that behave as single quantum objects.