![Despite sounding like something from the world of science fiction, scientists from Harvard, NYU and Dow Chemical Company have created particles capable of self-assembling into […]](/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/News-image-01-620x300.jpg "Scientists Create Self-Assembling Particles")
Despite sounding like something from the world of science fiction, scientists from Harvard, NYU and Dow Chemical Company have created particles capable of self-assembling into previously unattainable structures and geometries.
The particles they use are called colloids, and they are not exactly space-age technology – we come across them every day in substances such as paint, milk, glass, gelatine and porcelain. The colloids are about 1/100th the diameter of a human hair (at several thousand times the diameter of an atom, this is not as small as it sounds) and are suspended in a fluid medium.
Previous attempts to mimic the way atoms come together to form complex molecules had always been hampered by the lack of directional bonding between the colloids. But not to be defeated, the scientists once again turned to nature for inspiration and have solved the problem through the use of DNA. The single-stranded DNA was used to engineer chemical “patches” on the colloids which can form directional bonds, allowing the colloids to be assembled into lattices and complex 3D structures. By making particles that attach only at the patches, and then programming them so only specific kinds of particles attach at those patches, NYU Physics Professor David Pine has high hopes for the range and complexity of structures that could be made.
The very specific nature of DNA interactions may allow the creation of colloids with specific colour, size or electrical conductivity, leading to the production of new material such as photonic crystals to improve optical displays and boost the speed of computer chips.
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v491/n7422/full/nature11564.html
