According to researchers, nanosized cubes can naturally form a two-dimensional checkerboard pattern when put on top of the water. This opens up new opportunities for advanced optical uses.
This new method, described in a recent study in Nature Communications, uses self-assembly to make complex nanoparticles. The study group, led by Professor Andrea Tao at the University of California, San Diego, devised a way for nanocubes of silver crystals to form on water surfaces.
Each nanocube is covered with a mix of molecules that repel water and molecules that draw water. These molecules are what make the self-assembly process happen.
Tao talked about an interesting method for building materials, so there's no need for complicated adjustments in a nanofabrication lab. She likes this method because it's easy and effective, and he thinks it's a "cool" way to make new materials.
When these nanocubes hit the top of the water, they line up so that their corners touch. This makes a checkerboard pattern with solid cubes and empty spaces.
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