Discovery of new crystal type reveals great potential for application

From familiar grains of table salt to sparkling diamonds, crystal formation doesn't always follow a simple and predictable path.

Researchers at New York University (NYU) have successfully documented this surprising journey from an initially amorphous mass of matter to highly ordered structures, in a study just published in the journal Nature Communications.

In particular, in the process of exploring the mystery of crystallization, they accidentally discovered a unique type of rod-shaped crystal with a hollow structure inside, never known before, and named it "Zangenite" in honor of the graduate student who discovered this crystal.

To unlock the secrets of how particles arrange themselves into perfect crystal lattices, scientists often have difficulty directly observing tiny atoms.

The NYU team used an ingenious method: they created crystals from colloidal particles. These particles are small but large enough to be observed in detail under a microscope. “The advantage is that we can follow the crystallization process at the individual particle level,” says chemistry professor Stefano Sacanna, who led the experiment.

Combining meticulous experiments with thousands of complex computer simulations led by assistant professor Glen Hocky, the team unraveled a two-step crystal formation mechanism.

Instead of the particles immediately settling into a fixed position, they usually first clump together into an amorphous "crowd" and then undergo a rearrangement process to form the final ordered crystal structure. It is this two-step process that leads to the diversity of crystal shapes and types observed.

While performing experiments to track this two-step mechanism, graduate student Shihao Zang accidentally discovered a strange-looking rod-shaped crystal.

On closer examination under a microscope, he found that it not only had a distinct grain arrangement, but also contained hollow channels running along its length – a highly unusual feature for a normally compact crystal.

After checking a database of more than a thousand natural crystal structures without finding a match, Zang turned to Hocky's computer model. Simulations confirmed that it was indeed a completely new crystal structure.

“We were surprised because this structure had never been observed before,” Professor Sacanna shared.

The new crystal was scientifically named L3S4, but during laboratory discussions, the name "Zangenite" was born and was retained in recognition of Shihao Zang's work.

"We used colloidal crystals to simulate the real world, but unexpectedly found a crystal that does not exist in nature," Zang expressed his surprise.

The discovery of Zangenite is not only an exciting scientific discovery, but also opens up new avenues. Its unique porous structure suggests potential applications in the fields of filtration, storage or encapsulation of other materials.

Furthermore, it suggests that there may be many more novel types of crystals waiting to be discovered. A deeper understanding of this complex crystallization process is also important for the design and fabrication of future advanced materials, especially photonic materials for applications in laser technology, optical fiber and solar energy./.

(Vietnam News Agency/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/phat-hien-loai-tinh-the-moi-he-lo-tiem-nang-ung-dung-lon-post1036086.vnp