Designing disorder at the atomic scale

Dr Daniel Chaney investigates the properties of new materials that can be created when they are unable to adopt their preferred atomic arrangements, and aims to understand the mechanisms by which to control such disorder on an atomic scale

The crystal structures of solids can exhibit a vast array of different atomic arrangements, which may also change depending on conditions, temperature, pressure, etc. In new research, a team led by Dr Daniel Chaney, based at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in France, have used cutting-edge techniques to show for the first time how some materials display exciting new […]

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Modelling the growth of minerals

What do precious gems, seashells, and bones have in common? The answer is minerals. Minerals are chemically complex solids that are mostly formed naturally by Earth’s and space’s geological processes but can also be produced by many living species, including humans. Dr Raffaella Demichelis, at Curtin University, Australia, is using computational chemistry to see how these minerals form and how […]

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