Chemists at the University of California, Riverside have developed tiny, nanoscale-sized rods of iron oxide particles in the lab that respond to an external magnetic field in a way that could dramatically improve how visual information is displayed in the future. Previously, Yadong Yin's lab showed that when an external magnetic field is applied to iron oxide particles in solution, the solution changes colour in response to the strength and orientation of the magnetic field. Now his lab has succeeded in applying a coating of silica to the iron oxide particles so that when they come together in solution, like linearly connected spheres, they eventually form tiny rods - or "nanorods" that permanently retain their peapod-like structure. When an external magnetic field is applied to the solution of nanorods, they align themselves parallel to one another, like a set of tiny flashlights turned in one direction, and display a brilliant colour.
