Pizza the Puzzle

Looking like a slice of pepperoni pizza, it’s not the toppings here, but what’s underneath this 20,000-times smaller triangular nanosheet of silver that counts. Pictured from above under a high-powered microscope, the glittering triangles are pulled towards the surface beneath by Van der Waals forces, the same molecular 'glue' which keeps a gecko’s foot stuck to a tree. But there are deliberate obstacles in the way – tiny nanospheres of iron oxide underneath cause the silver to bend and deform, producing circular bumps. Creating regular, predictable patterns is a dream of material scientists wanting to alter the properties of natural metals – this new technique might help create devices to refract light during biomedical imaging, or as ready-made catalysts, their tiny divots ideal places for drug compounds to react.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

Website

• Image from work by Sarah M. Rehn and colleagues, The Jones Lab, Rice University
• Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
• Image copyright held by the original authors
• Published in Nano Letters, December 2020