Sunday, February 3, 2013

Synthetic Crystals Acting (Sort of ) Like Living Organisms



This video (which I originally saw at Neatorama) shows particles of hematite (Fe2O3) which, at the nanoscale, has magnetic properties that are less pronounced in larger sample (actually raising the temperature changes the magnetic properties of hematite). In the video the particles are partially covered with a polymer and are in a bath of hydrogen peroxide; when the light is "on" the particles conduct electricity and react with the hydrogen peroxide but are easily disturbed and move around. When the light is "off" they stop reacting, jiggling with what appears to be Brownian motion.

The video with the light "on" is reminiscent of Conway's famous "game of life" simulation.

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