Nanoparticles:Crystal nuclei beaten to the punch

Crystal nuclei beaten to the punch
Amorphous nanoparticles often dissolve more rapidly than their crystalline counterparts, which
can be useful in applications such as drug delivery. Amstad et al. made amorphous nanoparticles
from organic and inorganic compounds—even table salt—using droplets of dissolved compounds
created with a microfluidic nebulator. The solvent evaporates fast enough that nanoparticles form
before crystal nuclei can develop. The small particle size inhibits crystallization for periods of
months — Phil Szuromi
Science, this issue p. 956