US researchers have developed a technique that could be significant for the commercial development of gold nanoparticles in science and industry.
A team from the Birck Nanotechnology Centre and School of Mechanical Engineering have created the method, which uses holograms and lasers to arrange tiny particles of materials such as gold.
It is called rapid electrokinetic patterning and its inventors claim it provides an alternative to existing technologies as it means patterns of nanoparticles can be changed quickly and efficiently.
The technique works by placing a liquid sample containing fluorescent beads between two electrodes and shining a near-infrared laser through it.
"We send holograms of various patterns through this and, because they are holograms, we can create different shapes, such as straight lines or L patterns," explained researcher Aloke Kumar.
Recently, researchers at Cornell University developed a way to assemble gold nanoparticles in squares, traingles and disc-like shapes.
