Atomic Legos
huizhao2021-07-14T10:25:11-06:0011/05
Metamaterials
by Hui Zhao
Scientists have developed a way to engineer new forms of matter by stacking different types of layers, each only one atom thick, on top of one another.
From Nanowaffles to Nanostructures!
aenders22021-07-14T10:43:45-06:0002/28
Self-assembly
by Axel Enders
How can you fabricate a huge number of nanostructures in a split second? Self-assembly is a fast technique for the mass production of materials and complex structures. But before self-assembly is ready for prime time, scientists need to establish ways to control this process, so that desired nanostructures emerge from the unstructured soup of basic building blocks that are fast-moving atoms and molecules.
The Shape of the Future
xiaoshanxu2021-07-14T11:04:27-06:0002/25
Cubic or hexagonal?
by Xiaoshan Xu
There are many ways atoms can arrange microscopically to form crystalline materials. Interestingly, materials created from different arrangements of the same atoms may exhibit completely different physical and chemical properties. A method called thin film epitaxy allows scientists not only to fine-tune the properties of known materials, but also to generate completely new materials with structures and properties not found in nature.