AsianScientist (Nov. 27, 2017) – In a study published in the journal Advanced Materials, scientists in South Korea have devised a method to assemble particles into bubble- or tubular-shaped structures.
Nature’s preferred method of building is through self-assembly, the process in which individual components autonomously and spontaneously organize into ordered structures. Some of nature’s most exquisite patterns—leaves around a plant’s stem, scales on a pine cone and the tail of some viruses—consist of small objects decorating a cylindrical chassis with a specific pattern. Recreating similar structures in the laboratory has been difficult, especially if two or more kinds of particles are used together.
In the present study, scientists at the Center for Soft and Living Matter of South Korea’s Institute for Basic Science (IBS) have found the conditions necessary for dynamically building large structures from small objects within spun cylinders, recreating some of the shapes in nature. The researchers positioned particles in a specific configuration by exploiting the centripetal force of a rotating fluid.
Due to this force, higher density fluid was pushed out, while lower density material was driven to the center. As the denser (heavier) liquid rotated, the lighter particles within the cylinder arranged into a tubular assembly. Using this method, the researchers were able to make bubble-shaped or tubular crystals out of two kinds of particles, which was not possible before due to the effects of gravity.
“What we managed to do by using rotating liquids was to effectively switch off the force of gravity by introducing a force which exactly matches it. In some sense, we are able to do an experiment on Earth that would normally require outer space, zero gravity conditions,” explained Professor Bartosz Grzybowski of IBS who led the study.
Now that the scientists are able to control groups of particles using rotation, they will focus on controlling individual particles. They believe that this work will contribute to the creation of various shapes of microcomposites, which could be useful in photonics applications. By treating cells as particles, the researchers also intend to explore the possibility of controlling cell functions by subjecting them to gentle rotational forces.
The article can be found at: Lee et al. (2017) Non-Equilibrium Self-Assembly of Monocomponent and Multicomponent Tubular Structures in Rotating Fluids.
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Source: Institute for Basic Science; Photo: Pexels.
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