Turns out entropy binds nanoparticles a lot like electrons bind chemical crystals.
Sharon Glotzer
Nanotechnology: Theory predicts new type of bond that assembles nanoparticle crystals
Nanostructures get complex with electron equivalents
Nanoparticles of two different sizes break away from symmetrical designs.
Resurrecting quasicrystals: Findings could make an exotic material commercially viable
Self-healing phenomenon could reduce defects that rendered quasicrystals impractical.
Nanoengineering integrates crystals that don’t usually get along
A team of computational and experimental engineers demonstrate a blueprint for building materials with new properties from nanocrystals.
Toward protein nanomachines: just add charge
Added electrical charges can harness a protein’s shape and chemical properties to build interesting structures.
Most complex nanoparticle crystal ever made by design
Extraordinary nanoparticle crystals are possible by harnessing particle shape in addition to using DNA as smart glue.
A crystal ball for crystal formation
Studying the role of shape in self-assembly came up accidentally as Sharon Glotzer and her colleagues were studying the properties of semiconducting nanoparticles their U-M colleagues produced.
