Self-assembling nanoparticle arrays can switch between a mirror and a window

said braka 8:24 AM
The development could help scientists create special

materials whose  can be changed in real time. These  could then be used for applications from tuneable optical filters to miniature chemical sensors.
Creating a 'tuneable' material - one which can be accurately controlled - has been a challenge because of the tiny scales involved. In order to tune the optical properties of a single  of nanoparticles - which are only tens of nanometres in size each - the space between them needs to be set precisely and uniformly.
To form the layer, the team of researchers from Imperial College London created conditions for  to localise at the interface between two liquids that do not mix. By applying a small voltage across the interface, the team have been able to demonstrate a tuneable nanoparticle layer that can be dense or sparse, allowing for switching between a reflective mirror and a transparent surface. The research is published today in Nature Materials.


Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-09-self-assembling-nanoparticle-arrays-mirror-window.html#jCp