Vase structure

On the left, a simulated structure created using the model presented in Science, and on the right, a vase-shaped structure that was actually realised (electron microscope image). The height of the structure is 50 micrometres, which roughly equals the thickness of a human hair. The green bands in the simulation indicate at which points the acidity needs to be adjusted. The model links the 'growth rate' of the structure to the local concentration of catalysing silicate molecules and that concentration is in turn influenced by the local curvature of the vase structure. Using their model, the researchers can produce not just vases, but a whole range of complex shapes.