From: BillK (bill@wkidston.freeserve.co.uk)
Date: Sat Jun 28 2003 - 01:40:21 MDT
http://news.com.com/2100-1006_3-1020944.html
IBM has found a way to get thousands of molecules to assemble themselves
into designer crystals, a technique that, along with others, could
change how people look at chemistry.
Collaborating with researchers from Columbia University and the
University of New Orleans, IBM was able to create an environment where
lead selenide, a semiconductor with optical properties, and iron oxide,
a magnetic material, combined to form large crystals exhibiting
electrical, optical and magnetic properties.
The method for combining these materials, however, is just as important
as the result in this experiment. These so-called meta-materials, which
consist of tens of thousands of atoms, don't occur naturally. The basic
crystal unit in this experiment, for instance, consists of 63,000 atoms.
They also exhibit behavior not found in the separate materials.
"This is something where two plus two equals five," Murray said. "Our
building blocks are much larger than those in classical chemistry."
Meta-materials hold the potential for substantially changing the field
of chemistry because they allow researchers to find new materials
exhibiting as-yet-unknown characteristics out of more basic molecules
that have been studied for years and, to a large degree, are fairly well
understood.
Also see Nature magazine:
http://www.nature.com/nature/links/030626/030626-6.html
Well! Is this a breakthrough or what?
This seems to be saying that you can combine anything to make completely
new molecules unknown in nature with any properties you want.
Sounds like a good trick if it works.
BillK
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