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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Presto chango: tiny particles get a chemical makeover but keep their shape

Self-assembling particles exhibit a mind-boggling array of structure and composition.
Shape-preserving conversion in nanocomposites. SEM backscatter images of the same architecture.

Scientists can transform a microscopic particle (above) from barium-based to cadmium-based without sacrificing its complex form. Credit: H.C. Hendrikse et al./Adv. Mater.

In a neat chemical sleight-of-hand, researchers can swap out the ions in microscopic structures without disturbing the structures’ shape, yielding an array of spirals, trumpets and rods with diverse compositions.

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Nature 588, 199 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-03407-w

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