Dec 27, 2022 12:26:00

A method is developed to change the metal to a snow crystal-like structure

Snow crystals have a wide variety of structures, and some crystals have beautiful structures that look like works of art. A research team at the University of New South Wales has succeeded in creating structures similar to snow crystals using liquid metal. Liquid metal crystals are not only beautiful to look at, but may also serve as a catalyst for semiconductor production and hydrogen production.

Liquid metal synthesis solvents for metallic crystals |

https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abm2731

I'm dreaming of a zinc Christmas?! Intricate 'snowflakes' created in liquid metal | UNSW Newsroom
https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/science-tech/i%E2%80%99m-dreaming-zinc-christmas-intricate-%E2%80%98snowflakes%E2%80%99-created-liquid -metal

Below is a picture of zinc crystals produced in a liquid metal (gallium). The research team dissolved zinc in liquid metal and succeeded in creating metal crystals with a structure similar to snow crystals by adjusting the concentration of zinc and the time, temperature, and pressure to grow crystals.

Zinc crystals have a wide variety of structures, and the structures change depending on the growth time. The image below is a zinc crystal grown over a day.

And the image below is a zinc crystal grown over 10 days.

Also, crystals can be made from substances other than zinc. The left side of the image below is a crystal made by dissolving nickel in liquid metal, and the right side is a crystal made by dissolving bismuth. By changing the substance that dissolves in the liquid metal, crystals with a wide variety of structures can be created.

Professor Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh, a member of the research team, said, ``This discovery deepened our understanding of crystal growth using liquid metal and showed a realistic method for extracting crystals.'' ``Using liquid metal 'Crystal growth provides new avenues for nanostructures in metals and contributes to the creation of complex structural patterns.' Also, according to Jianbo Tang, who is also a member of the research team, creating metal crystals with a specific structure may help develop catalysts and produce semiconductors.