Kiel based research group discovers nano-crystals at the
interface between two liquids
Not all liquids are mixable. Researchers from the Institute
of Experimental and Applied Physics of Kiel University (CAU) have investigated
chemical processes with atomic resolution at the interface between two such
liquids and have made an exciting discovery. During an experiment carried out
at Germany’s largest accelerator centre DESY (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron)
in Hamburg, they observed the formation of an ordered crystal of exactly five
atomic layers between the two liquids, which acts as a foundation for growing
even bigger crystals. The experiment was performed in cooperation with
scientists from Israel, the USA, and DESY. The results have just been published
in the renowned scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of
Science. They may result in new semiconductor and nano-particle production
processes.