Sunday, July 19, 2026
Science

Chemistry isn't always essential for order: How simple geometry gives rise to complex materials

Utrecht University researchers Rodolfo Subert and Marjolein Dijkstra show in their latest study that complex three-dimensional networks in materials can emerge from nothing more than particle shape. In Nature Communications they describe how simple geometries, aided by entropy, can give rise to laye...

Chemistry isn't always essential for order: How simple geometry gives rise to complex materials
Image: Phys.org
Utrecht University researchers Rodolfo Subert and Marjolein Dijkstra show in their latest study that complex three-dimensional networks in materials can emerge from nothing more than particle shape. In Nature Communications they describe how simple geometries, aided by entropy, can give rise to layers, networks and even spontaneous left- and right-handed twisting, which is a phenomenon previously linked mainly to highly complex molecules.

Originally published at Phys.org

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