A study conducted by group of scientists from Nagoya City University (NCU), Japan Space Forum (JSF), Advance Engineering Services (AES), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and ANSTO has revealed a clustering of charged particles in the microgravity environment of International Space Station (ISS), with implications for the development of photonic materials, improved drugs, and a range of new and innovative materials that depend on the mixing of two or more charged particles.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A schematic of clustering and clusters of positively and negatively charged colloidal particles. m is the association number. Credit: Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) The experimental study, which was published in npj Microgravity, and conducted on the ISS, determined how sub-micron sized charged colloidal particles interact in the presence and absence of Earth's gravity. "Many chemical and physical phenomena rely heavily on an understanding of how two particles interact with each other, especially charged particles," said ANSTO principal scientist and co-author, Dr. Jitendra Mata. "The best example is when colloidal particles form tetrahedral clusters, commonly known as diamond lattices, which are essential in producing photonic materials. Controlling the self-assembly of colloidal particles enable us to construct a novel material that can be used in photonic, optoelectronics, sensing and clinical diagnostics." It is well known that even the slightest gravitational sedimentation and convection on Earth affects particle interactions and their arrangement in a colloid. This hinders important knowledge about the effect of charge. This knowledge can also help to design better drug formulations, which will…