Forming clusters with open arms

摘要

Rationally designed smart nanomater ials could be a step closer thanks to Chinese chemists,who have revealed some of the subtle effects that control how nanostructures form.Interactions that affect the way small molecules aggregate into a particular nanostructure have been revealed by Hongbing Fu,Jiannian Yao and colleagues at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.A nanomater ial's properties are dictated by its structure,said Yao,but the ability to design small molecules that form nanostructures in a predictable manner is currently limited.