A team of experts from the University of Missouri designed the microscopic materials made out of clay, marking a breakthrough in chemistry. In their study, the scientists developed chemical layers customized to perform specific tasks based on their target outcome.
The nanoclays developed by the research team represent chemical building blocks intended to perform specific functions. They are constructed into extremely thin, two-dimensional microscopic layers thinner than a strand of human DNA and even a hundred thousand times thinner than a sheet of paper.
The research team aims to make the nanoclay perform whatever they want it to build. To do this, the chemical components at the surface of the nanoclay are customized in terms of their function and shape, utilizing the electrically charged surface as the fundamental part of the material. According to research co-principal investigator Gary Baker, the microscopic material they developed is analogous to a magnet where the positively charged particles will stick to the negatively charged ones.
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