By building 'Lego' at the atomic scale, they have achieved nanoscale 'programmable' synthesis.

What is it about?

Controlling the growth direction and position of different materials at the atomic scale with the same ease as building with Lego bricks has long been a goal pursued by materials scientists. Just as a building's structure determines its function, the shape, composition, and arrangement of nanomaterials directly determine whether they can become efficient catalysts or sensitive biological probes. This work, by cleverly combining 'lattice mismatch engineering' and 'site-selective growth' techniques, proposes a 'programmable' paradigm for nano-synthesis. They have successfully mastered a set of 'construction blueprints' for the microscopic world, allowing different materials to grow precisely and on demand at predetermined locations.

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Photo by Zach M on Unsplash

Photo by Zach M on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Leveraging the fact that the rare-earth 'family' has many members with continuously tunable sizes, the team systematically studied the effects of combining materials of different 'body types' and established precise quantitative criteria: when the lattice mismatch is less than 2.0%, the materials 'fit seamlessly' to form a uniform coating layer; when the mismatch is between 2.0% and 5.1%, they form 'precise decorations' — like neatly embedding a ring of rubies around a long rod — resulting in an island-like structure; but once the mismatch exceeds 7.1%, the new materials 'go their separate ways' and form new particles on their own. This discovery provides the underlying physical logic for 'programmable' synthesis.

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