They look like snowflakes, but they are actually nanoparticle blacksmithing artworks

When atoms decide to stick together, they can end up transforming into the most unexpected shapes.

the Concept in general science It includes all branches of human knowledge and that is why we can talk about science when we refer to Endangered dog breedsWhen we talk about how much Meteorites that fall to Earth every year or the future [dependencia de las baterías eléctricas de los caparazones de crustáceos](Why the future of electric batteries may depend on crustacean shells.)

Science explores the behavior of the world and the universe around us, and sometimes it also has time to play and create works of art, such as metallic snowflakes which we will talk to you about.

Creating fake snowflakes on a near atomic scale

information that has been Published in the prestigious scientific journal Sciencedescribes a Research doing it Scientists at the University of AucklandThat period I experimented with metals on an atomic level They end up creating bizarre geometric shapes, strongly reminiscent of snowflakes when viewed through a microscope. It is curious to see how atoms are organized in this way, since The future of engineering It seems to pass through Small scale manipulation of different types Materials.

A graphic showing the process of creating metallic snowflakes. University of Auckland

As you can see in the graph that we show you in these lines, I experimented with different metals, obtaining completely different structures from each other. On this occasion, it appears that an element in the liquid state is responsible for this geometry formation on an almost molecular level, with snowflakes those who have size fish a human hair. part of equipment It was Australian And they were They used metalsuch as nickel, copper, zinc, tin, platinum, bismuth, silver and aluminum. for dissolved in gallium at high temperatures.

the Surprise Arrived in time wetting. While gallium remained a liquid, it was Snowflakes are starting to appear. For his part, he is New Zealand team Made different simulation Molecular dynamics which explained the different shapes observed. Nicola Gastonfrom the University of Auckland, announce what:

We are learning that the structure of liquid gallium is very important. This is a novelty, as we usually think of liquids as having no random structure or structure. This model is based on the atoms sticking together on their own. This is how nature makes nanoparticles, and it’s as waste-free as it is more refined than other methods. Plus, there’s just something really cool about creating metallic snowflakes!