Pathways to Complexity with Imperfect Nanoparticles Part II
Abstract
Structures of highly function-optimized materials in nature often belong to the “Goldilocks” zone between order and disorder, where effective complexity (EC) peaks, leading to a series of outstanding features including high electron/ion transport efficiency, record robustness, unmatched adaptability, and multifunctionality. Today, structures engineered at the nanoscale lack this level of sophistication. We envision that non-Euclidean geometry will be key to fundamentally advance our understanding of complexity in nanoparticles (NPs) self-assembly. We expect that theoretical and computational work in non-Euclidean space will guide experimental realizations of controlled complex nanoscale morphologies, opening the door to unprecedented technologies. This is a conceptually new idea originating from the mathematics of non-Euclidean geometry: many polyhedra—the typical shape of NPs—have perfect crystalline packings of 100% volume fraction only in curved space. Their self-assembly in the flat physical space can be understood as “flattened” shadows of these curved crystals. We expect that the flattening of these crystals at different NP interactions and experimental protocols will lead to a rich set of new phases of matter and transitions between them. Remarkably, we expect this theory to be robust or even advantageous when applied to “imperfect” NPs with polydispersity in size and shape, which eases the stress caused by the non-Euclidean metric. In collaboration with Nicholas Kotov, we will explore this problem theoretically and computationally. The predicted high-EC multifunctional materials will be subsequently realized practically from chiral semiconductor NPs and other nanoscale components. Results from this project will lead to a new paradigm for the predictive design and assembly of novel devices and materials. It will also greatly broaden DoD capabilities in materials science, information technology, and medicine.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jun 25, 2021
- Source ID
- HQ00342010021
Entities
People
- Xiaoming Mao
Organizations
- Office of the Secretary of Defense
- University of Michigan
- Washington Headquarters Services