Traditional theories of magnetism distinguish between ferromagnetic materials (such as those used to make fridge-magnets) – in which the spins of electrons align to produce a net magnetization below a critical temperature – and antiferromagnetic materials, where the spins of neighboring sites are aligned in opposite directions, resulting in a zero net magnetization.

It is always time to talk about ice, even in these hot summer days. If you fancy a smooth ice cream, then you may know that its texture can be controlled by a specific class of natural materials, i.e. carbohydrates. Specifically, polysaccharides, biopolymers consisting of long chain of saccharides, commonly known as sugars, can be used to control the size of ice crystals (spoiler: you want them to be as small as possible for a smooth ice cream).

The interest in the modification of the surfaces chemical structure goes beyond the fundamental aspects of chemical science, toward relevant applications in the field of heterogeneous catalysis, photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, sensing, and microelectronics. Often this is performed by deposing on the surface organic molecules prone to form self-assembled monolayers. It is, however, evident how the possibility to form well-ordered molecular assemblies would pave the way toward new, relevant applications.