Using 3D STEM (scanning transmission electron microscope) tomography at Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Foundry, Ting Xu and her team mapped out the precise placement of nanoparticles in a self-assembling material. (Courtesy of ACS Nano)
Using 3D STEM (scanning transmission electron microscope) tomography at Berkeley Lab's Molecular Foundry, Ting Xu and her team mapped out the precise placement of nanoparticles in a self-assembling material. (Courtesy of ACS Nano) - Breakthrough could enable large-scale manufacturing of nanomaterials for industry A research team led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory ÜBerkeley Lab) has demonstrated tiny concentric nanocircles that self-assemble into an optical material with precision and efficiency. Their work overcomes a longstanding problem in nanoscience - molecular impurities. The researchers described their work in the journals ACS Nano and Advanced Materials. The new findings could enable the large-scale manufacturing of multifunctional nanocomposites - materials made from different components on a scale of a billionth of a meter. Such materials could enable advanced fiberoptics for high-speed broadband telecommunications, and multifunctional coatings for buildings, automobiles, and aerospace. As reported in ACS Nano , the new technique coaxes diverse blends of polymers and nanoparticles into spontaneously forming tiny nested rings within minutes of adding an impurity, such as a small organic molecule, to the mix.
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