EVANSTON, Ill., Jan. 27 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've discovered X-rays can trigger the formation of a new type of crystal -- charged cylindrical filaments.
The Northwestern University researchers said the filaments are ordered like a bundle of pencils experiencing a repulsive force, which is unknown to occur in crystals.
The findings, said the scientists, expand scientific knowledge of crystals and might lead to the use of X-rays to control the structure of materials or to develop novel biomedical therapies.
"This is a very intriguing and astonishing result," Professor Samuel Stupp, the paper's senior author, said. "The filaments are charged so one would expect them to repel each other, not to organize into a crystal. Even though they are repelling each other, we believe the hundreds of thousands of filaments in the bundles are trapped within a network and form a crystal to become more stable."
The research is reported in the journal Science.
