supercrystal tagged posts

To make the superstructure, the nanocrystals are dissolved in an oleaginous fluid that floats on a layer of coolant. As the oil evaporates, the nanocrystals appear to form a neat hexagonal structure on the surface of the water. Credit: Image courtesy of Utrecht University

Two years ago, a team led by Utrecht University in Science explaining how they had created a material with unique and extremely interesting electronic characteristics. In this ‘supercrystal’, the electrons move almost with the speed of photons, and the electric current can be switched on and off. This makes it ideal for ultra-fast electronics. But at the time, the researchers were at a loss to explain how this ‘supercrystal’ obtained its unique structure...