Molecular ‘compass’ traces van der Waals interactions within a zeolite
The tiny device consists of single hydrocarbon molecules trapped in the channels of a zeolite
A recently developed electron microscopy technique has allowed scientists to measure van der Waals interactions by precisely imaging the changes in orientation of single para-xylene molecules confined in the channels of a zeolite matrix.1 The setup resembles a nanoscale compass in which the hydrocarbon molecule is the rotating pointer and the positions of the atoms around the hole define the direction markers.