Author: Michael Engel

In a recent ACS Nano publication, Alberto Leonardi proposes an etching synthesis method for controlling the shape of core-shell nanocrystals:

“The application of nanocrystals as heterogeneous catalysts and plasmonic nanoparticles requires fine control of their shape and chemical composition. A promising idea to achieve synergistic effects is to combine two distinct chemical and/or physical functionalities in bimetallic core@shell nanocrystals. Although techniques for the synthesis of single-component nanocrystals with spherical or anisotropic shape are well-established, new methods are sought to tailor multicomponent nanocrystals. Here, we probe etching in a controlled redox environment as a synthesis technique for multicomponent nanocrystals. Our Monte Carlo computer simulations demonstrate the appearance of characteristic non-equilibrium intermediate microstructures that are further thermodynamically tested and analyzed with molecular dynamics. Convex platelet, concave polyhedron, pod, cage, and strutted-cage shapes are obtained at room temperature with fully coherent structure exposing crystallographic facets and chemical elements along distinct particle crystallographic directions. We observe that structural and dynamic properties are markedly modified compared to the untreated compact nanocrystal.”

Read about it here:

Particle Shape Control via Etching of Core-Shell Nanocrystals
A. Leonardi, M. Engel
ACS Nano 12, 9186-9195 (2018)

A publication with experiments by Christian Scholz, then a postdoc at MSS and now at Universität Düsseldorf, appeared in Nature Communications:

“Biological organisms and artificial active particles self-organize into swarms and patterns. Open questions concern the design of emergent phenomena by choosing appropriate forms of activity and particle interactions. A particularly simple and versatile system are 3D-printed robots on a vibrating table that can perform self-propelled and self-spinning motion. Here we study a mixture of minimalistic clockwise and counter-clockwise rotating robots, called rotors. Our experiments show that rotors move collectively and exhibit super-diffusive interfacial motion and phase separate via spinodal decomposition. On long time scales, confinement favors symmetric demixing patterns. By mapping rotor motion on a Langevin equation with a constant driving torque and by comparison with computer simulations, we demonstrate that our macroscopic system is a form of active soft matter.”

Read about it here:

Rotating Robots Move Collectively and Self-Organize
C. Scholz, M. Engel, T. Pöschel
Nature Communications 9, 931 (2018)

Press coverage pro-physik.de (in German):
Roboter mit Fraktionszwang