Surface segregation of aluminium was observed during oxidation experiments of icosahedral A162Cu25.5 Fel12.5, performed in-situ and at different temperatures in the ultra-high vacuum chamber of a scanning Auger electron spectrometer. Two regimes, below and above 770K, were observed in relation with severe segregation of Al atoms at the surface for T > 770K. We postulate that this temperature dependent segregation rate is representative of the aluminium transport towards the surface of the quasicrystal. By analogy with classical diffusion experiments, we can thus determine reasonable estimates of the activation energy for Al self-diffusion in this quasicrystal. The results are consistent with the existence of phason flips below 770K and thermal vacancies above this temperature.
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