Chemists at Northwestern University have designed a new photonic lattice with properties never before seen in nature. In solid materials, atoms must be equally spaced apart and close enough together to interact effectively. The new architectures are based on stacked lattices of nanoparticles that show interactions across unprecedentedly large distances. Because the nanoparticles can communicate across ultralong distances, the stacked architecture offers potential applications in remote sensing and detection. “This is an entirely new class of engineered materials that have no counterpart or analogue in nature," said Teri Odom, a senior author of the study.
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