Growing crystals is easy, but being able to control that growth is an ongoing struggle. Now, a team from Michigan State University, USA, has developed a method to determine where, when and how a crystal should grow.

They use gold nanoparticles, which they strike with a single laser pulse after supersaturating the nanoparticle surface with the molecules to grow methylammonium lead halide perovskites. The light from the laser is converted very locally into heat, drawing the molecules together and resulting in nucleation.

‘With this method, we can essentially grow crystals at precise locations and times’, said Md Shahjahan, a research associate at MSU and first author of the paper, in a press release. ‘It’s like having a front-row seat to watch the very first moments of a crystal’s life under a microscope, only here we can also steer how it develops.’

‘We’re just beginning to scratch the surface of what’s possible. This is opening a new chapter in how we design and study materials’, said Elad Harel, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and senior author of the study, in the same press release.

Shahjahan, M. et al. (2025) ACS Nano, DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.5c12057