Form emerges from formless entities: Temperature-induced self-assembly and growth of ZnO nanoparticles into zeptoliter bowls and troughs

Shaping up: Unusual bowl-, trough-, and ring-shaped structures result from the temperature-induced self-assembly of nanoparticles (see picture for bowl). The obtained ZnO bowls and rings also serve as a template to make metal or metal oxide replicas. The tiny bowls are envisaged not only to hold fluids of ultralow volume, but also to grow nanoparticles, immobilize biomolecules, and screen submicrometer-sized particles. (Figure Presented). © 2007 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.