Self-organizing nanoparticles: a model for tomorrow's nanofactories

In an article in the prestigious journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Professor Lennart Bergström shows how a glass bottle and a simple hobby magnet can be used to produce and arrange extremely small cubes of iron oxide in a perfectly checkered pattern.

The new method can give magnetic films with superior information storage capacity,” says Lennart Bergström.

To produce nanoparticles with a defined form and size and at the same time organize them in well-ordered structures is one of the few realistic ways of producing tomorrow's nanomaterials on an industrial scale. It sounds like a dream, but the fact is that nature uses these construction principles in order to make the wings of a butterfly shimmer in all the colors of the rainbow and to create a compass needle of magnetic nanoparticles in certain bacteria.

In the article, Lennart Bergström and his colleagues show how it is possible to create a self-organizing system in which the system itself can achieve a flawless structure. Instead of slowly building up these intricate structures by for example etching, the particles are “programmed” to build the desired structure themselves. Nanoparticles are ideal building blocks for creating two- and three-dimensional structures with tailor-made properties. It is possible to combine metals, semiconductors, and magnetic nanoparticles in one and the same material, thereby obtaining entirely new combinations of properties.

“Our vision is to get nanoparticles to collaborate and construct complicated structures at will,” says Lennart Bergström. “New types of nanostructured materials with unique characteristics, such as magnetic and catalytic properties, can then be created where they are most needed and in such a way that they can be readily reused. This opens up exciting possibilities to tailor the structure and function of materials, a goal for all materials chemists.”

Name of article: “Magnetic field induced assembly of oriented superlattices from maghemite nanocubes”A. Ahniyaz, Y. Sakamoto, and L. Bergström, PNAS, (“early edition” published at end of week 44)

For more information: Prof. Lennart Bergström, Department of Physical, Inorganic, and Structural Chemistry, Stockholm University. cell phone: +46 (0)70-5179991; phone: +46 (0)8-16 23 68, e-mail: lennartb@inorg.su.se For images: phone: +46 (0)8-16 40 90, e-mail press@su.se

Media Contact

Maria Erlandsson idw

More Information:

http://www.vr.se

All latest news from the category: Power and Electrical Engineering

This topic covers issues related to energy generation, conversion, transportation and consumption and how the industry is addressing the challenge of energy efficiency in general.

innovations-report provides in-depth and informative reports and articles on subjects ranging from wind energy, fuel cell technology, solar energy, geothermal energy, petroleum, gas, nuclear engineering, alternative energy and energy efficiency to fusion, hydrogen and superconductor technologies.

Back to home

Comments (0)

Write a comment

Newest articles

NASA: Mystery of life’s handedness deepens

The mystery of why life uses molecules with specific orientations has deepened with a NASA-funded discovery that RNA — a key molecule thought to have potentially held the instructions for…

What are the effects of historic lithium mining on water quality?

Study reveals low levels of common contaminants but high levels of other elements in waters associated with an abandoned lithium mine. Lithium ore and mining waste from a historic lithium…

Quantum-inspired design boosts efficiency of heat-to-electricity conversion

Rice engineers take unconventional route to improving thermophotovoltaic systems. Researchers at Rice University have found a new way to improve a key element of thermophotovoltaic (TPV) systems, which convert heat…