Shaping crystals with bio-tools

Researchers in the US have developed a new approach for controlling crystal growth, borrowing tools from biology.

Some crystalline materials can behave very differently as catalysts depending on the crystal surface used, says Yu Huang of the University of California Los Angeles. 'If we were able to use biomolecules to produce just one particular shape, it would increase the efficiency of these catalysts.' More...

http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2011/April/18041101.asp