Image of the month

This scanning electron micrograph shows a pseudo-octahedral crystal of the compound [NC₆H₈][GaGe₃S₈]. These are of a mixed Germanium and Gallium Sulphide framework material, with 1 x 2 Angstrom sized pores. This work is being undertaken by Sarah Makin under the supervision of Dr Paz Vaqueiro. Sarah is working towards creating new materials for application as photocatalysts; combining porosity and semiconductivity. She uses solvothermal synthesis to produce the materials, which allows the isolation of metastable phases that cannot necessarily be accessed by conventional synthesis methods.