Researchers at the University of British Columbia have designed a system that will identify the optical characteristics of nano-particles.
This development will impact designers to create customized nanostructures. It will also be of use in multiple applications as well as remote sensing of contaminants that affect the atmosphere. It will also facilitate research on dust clouds in space.
Aerosols and nano-particles impact industrial emissions that pollute the atmosphere. Often found as complicated particles, they comprise of simple building blocks. They also impact interstellar chemistry and drug delivery platforms. These aspects have enhanced the possibility of research and development in this area.
The research reveals that the visual properties of complicated non-conducting nano-particles can be understood depending on the nanoparticles that live within them. Those characteristics offer an insight into the particle's structure. According to Thomas Preston, a researcher with the UBC Department of Chemistry, designing complicated nano-structures using specific infrared reactions requires complicated calculations and is a not always accurate. In order to address these issues, the researchers have designed a system that will help create nano-materials displaying customized properties.
A complicated particle having a cavity and a basic structure is a hybrid of the single particle that creates it, according to Professor Ruth Signorell, who specializes in molecular nano-particles and aerosols. He has also helped to write the report. The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Canada Foundation for Innovation have jointly given grants for the research project.
The research paper was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Source: http://www.ubc.ca/