Controlled disorder -- scientists find way to form random molecular patterns

Scientists at The University of Nottingham have discovered a way to control how tiny flat molecules fit together in a seemingly random pattern. The researchers have been studying molecules which resemble tiny rhombus/diamond shaped tiles, with a side length of around 2 nanometres — 2 billionths of a metre. The fundamental research, published in the prestigious , has shown that they can prompt the 'tiles' to form a range of random patterns by adjusting the conditions in which the experiment is conducted. Lead author Andrew Stannard, in the University's School of Physics and Astronomy said: "To construct some sort of nanoscale device comprised of molecules, one needs to understand how those molecules will interact with one another. "Typically, a useful device would be one in which the molecules arrange themselves in some perfectly ordered, regular manner. What we have studied here is almost the complete opposite — we have purposely tried to make the assemblies of molecules as random as possible. "However, if we can gain a complete understanding of how randomness and disorder arises in these types of molecular structures, we can better understand how to eradicate that disorder when we want to create something functional." Tilings of various geometrical shapes have interested scientists, mathematicians, and artists for centuries, and a wide range of tilings can be seen adorning many medieval architectural structures, as well as for practical purposes in our more modern kitchens and bathrooms.