Main points
- Japanese scientists have discovered that gold nanoparticles can change structure like a liquid, opening up new possibilities for adaptive materials.
- This discovery could significantly impact the development of nanotechnology, biomedicine, and materials science, allowing the creation of systems that respond to environmental changes.
Breakthrough in nanotechnology – gold began to self-organize under the influence of temperature / Unsplash / Shubham Dhage
Japanese scientists have discovered an unusual property of gold nanoparticles. Under certain conditions, they are able to change their structure like a liquid, which opens up new possibilities for creating adaptive materials.
Researchers from Tohoku University have announced a discovery that could have a significant impact on the development of nanotechnology, biomedicine, and materials science, Phys reports.
How did gold learn to rebuild itself?
A team led by Dr. Rina Sato , formerly of the Institute for Multidimensional Materials Research at Tohoku University and now of the National Institute for Materials Science, and Professor Kiyoshi Kanie, discovered that gold nanoparticles can behave like a liquid and dynamically change their organization.
The results of the study were published in April 2026 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society .
This is the first experimental confirmation that minor changes in the distribution of organic molecules on the surface of nanoparticles can trigger large-scale rearrangements of entire layers of material.
This paves the way for the creation of adaptive surfaces capable of responding to environmental changes almost instantly.
Why is this important for science?
When inorganic nanoparticles are assembled into structures , their optical, electronic, and magnetic properties depend on how they are arranged.
Controlling this process is one of the main challenges of modern materials science. Previously, most such structures remained static, and changing their organization required heating to over 100 degrees Celsius.
This has significantly limited the practical applications of such materials . Japanese scientists have found a way to circumvent this limitation by exploiting the boundary between air and water – a medium where nanoparticles are able to naturally form two-dimensional layers.
How researchers made gold “flow”
For the experiment, the team synthesized gold nanoparticles coated with two types of organic molecules.
The first type is temperature-sensitive dendritic liquid crystal molecules known as dendrons. The second is simple linear ligands.
It was the combination of these two components that created the unusual effect. At room temperature, the nanoparticles formed isolated island-like structures. As the temperature increased, they began to rearrange themselves: first into chain configurations, and later into large network-like structures.
The most pronounced transformation occurred at around 40 degrees Celsius. When the researchers mechanically compressed the layer, the network returned to its original island shape. In effect, the material exhibited reversible adaptive behavior.
What did the X-ray analysis show?
To understand the nature of this phenomenon, the team used synchrotron X-ray measurements at the DESY facility in Hamburg.
The analysis showed that surface organic molecules independently redistribute under the influence of external stimuli. This changes the apparent symmetry of the nanoparticles and triggers the reorganization of the entire layer.
Professor Kiyoshi Kanie explained: “This work demonstrates how very small changes at the molecular level can lead to dramatic structural transformations in nanoparticle systems.” He said it opens a new direction for the creation of “smart” materials that can dynamically respond to their environment.
What technologies could emerge from the discovery?
Of particular interest is the fact that structural changes occur at temperatures close to physiological ones.
This makes the technology promising for biomedical applications . In particular, it can be used to create targeted drug delivery systems that respond to local temperature deviations.
For example, the tissue temperature around tumors is often slightly higher than in healthy areas. The material could respond to these changes, releasing the drug exactly where it is needed.
In addition to medicine, the discovery could become the basis for new microfluidic devices, sensors, adaptive coatings and flexible nanoelectronics . In fact, the research brings science closer to the concept of programmable materials – structures that independently change shape and properties depending on conditions.
If further experiments confirm the stability and scalability of this approach, gold nanoparticles could become the foundation for a new generation of materials that will not be just passive structural elements, but active systems capable of adapting in real time.