Prague, Jan 12 (CTK) – Czech scientists from the Institute of Physics of the Science Academy (AV) have developed a new method that is able to locate the lightest atoms in the smallest possible crystals, physicist Lukas Palatinus told CTK on Thursday.
Czechs are the first in the world to achieve such accuracy to find even hydrogen atoms in nanocrystals as they described in a study to be published in the Science prestigious journal on Friday.
Their seven-year research has helped the development of crystallography.
“Crystallography is a fundamental field for a number of other branches of science, such as chemistry and the development of new materials. We have developed a method that makes progress in crystallography and enables to do what was not possible in the past,” Palatinus said.
A major part of the research, that is the development of the unique method and the software, was carried out in Prague, while French colleagues from the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) in Caen participated in the other part.
Its authors say the method can contribute to a broad use of crystallography in science and to the development of a number of scientific fields, such as material engineering, organic and inorganic chemistry, pharmacy and molecular biology.
The analysis of nanocrystals plays an important role in aviation industry particularly in the research into new materials, the authors say.
Scientists are looking for atoms by letting electrons disperse in crystals in an electron microscope. Then they measure the dispersion and process the final data electronically, Palatinus explained.
