NUANCE Center Fall 2015 Image Gallery Reception
The NUANCE Center hosted a reception for the winners of the Fall 2016 image gallery contest on January 11, 2016. Many people came to see the images and to learn about the science behind each image!
The images will be displayed for 6 months in our NUANCE Center gallery, which is located in Cook Hall, 1st floor.
Pengcheng Chen
Graduate Student
* Grand Prize Winner
Northwestern University
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Chad Mirkin Research Group
“Metropolitan at Sunrise”
IMAGE: This is a false color SEM image of CaCO3 polycrystals composed of many rhombohedral calcite crystallites. The hierarchical arrangement of calcite crystallites resembles a futuristic metropolis at sunrise. With each color being its own crystallite built on each other like skyscrapers stacking to the sky. Taken with the Hitachi S4800 SEM in the NUANCE, EPIC Facility.
Ran Li
Graduate Student
* Honorable Mention Prize Winner
Northwestern University
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Vinayak Dravid Research Group
“Nightmare”
IMAGE: This image was taken when I conducted in-situ heating TEM experiments. The material I used is ZITO-30 (In1.4Zn0.3Sn0.3O3). The hexagonal shape appearing in the images are actually the nucleation phase while the gray area is amorphous area. The black and white contrast in the nucleation area are bend contours, which are caused by the bending of the materials during heating process. I give the name of nightmare just because when I painted it with colors, it looks like one of the images appearing in my dream. Taken with the Hitachi 8100 TEM in the NUANCE, EPIC Facility.
Robert van Lith
Postdoctoral Associate
* Honorable Mention Prize Winner
Northwestern University
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Guillermo Ameer Research Group
“3D Printed Stent”
IMAGE: False colored SEM micrograph of a biodegradable polymer stent. The stent was 3D printed using layer-by-layer curing of a citric acid based elastomeric polymer by exposure to UV light. Each layer is 20 micron as clearly visible in this image. Taken with the FEI Quanta ESEM in the NUANCE, EPIC Facility.
Mark McClendon
Research Associate
* Honorable Mention Prize Winner
Northwestern University
Simpson Querrey Institute
“Sticky Nanofibers”
IMAGE: These are nanofibers designed to mimic the chemical structure of heparin. Heparin binds to growth factors, and by mimicking it's chemistry we have created nanofibers that can similarly bind to growth factors. The surface of these nanofibers is so sticky that they seem to be sticking to each other when viewed under the SEM. This material is designed to be an injectable delivery vehicle for growth factors which will slowly release bound proteins at a controlled rate. Taken with the LEO Gemini 1525 in the NUANCE, EPIC Facility.
Michael Whittaker
Graduate Student
* Honorable Mention Prize Winner
Northwestern University
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Derk Joester Research Group
“NanoNebula”
IMAGE: Although a decillion (10^33) times smaller and a quadrillion (10^15) times faster, the formation of BaCO3 bears a striking resemblance to a supernova. A rapid burst of precipitation creates whisps ion-rich material that grow up to 1 micron (10-6 meters) in diameter before collapsing into a denser and more stable particle. While the nebulae created by supernova explosions exist for billions of years, these precipitates only last for a few seconds. Therefore, they must be plunged into cryogenic fluid to freeze them in place. The result is a 'quenched explosion' of the NanoNebula seen above. Taken with the Hitachi HD2300 STEM (cryo mode) in the NUANCE, EPIC Facility.
Emily Hoffman
Graduate Student
* Honorable Mention Prize Winner
Northwestern University
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Laurence Marks Research Group
“Split Woman”
IMAGE: This is a metal alloy of cobalt, chromium, and molybdenum. The metal sample is thinned to 100 nm thick and then imaged using transmission electron microscopy. The white contrast is the background from the vacuum. The sample is false-colored pink, with the black lines are from bending in the sample. Taken with the FEI FIB and imaged using the Hitachi 8100 TEM in the NUANCE, EPIC Facility.
Taegon Oh
Graduate Student
* Honorable Mention Prize Winner
Northwestern University
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Chad Mirkin Research Group
“Nano-Ring Nebula”
IMAGE: The gold nanorings and nanospheres were synthesized separately, but they could be brought together by DNA-mediated assembly. The inner surface of the nanoring is selectively functionalized with a certain DNA, and DNA with complementary sequences covers the surface of the nanosphere. Subsequently, the cooperative hybridization of the DNA guides the sphere to get stabilized at the center of the ring. Image is false-colored to resemble "Ring Nebula," a famous deep-sky object. Scale bar: 50 nm. Taken with the Hitachi HD2300 in the NUANCE, EPIC Facility.
Eric Miller
Microscopy & Imaging Specialist
* Honorable Mention Prize Winner
Northwestern University
NUANCE Center
“Bathroom Moth”
IMAGE: This is the antenna of a moth I found in the bathroom in Cook Hall. Taken with the Hitachi S-3400 SEM in the NUANCE, EPIC Facility.
Ben Myers
Director of Operations
* Honorable Mention Prize Winner
Northwestern University
SHyNE Resource
“Prospecting”
IMAGE: Collection of Au nanoprisms and nanoparticles linked by DNA and deposited on a TEM grid. The overlapping nanoprisms show moiré finges. Taken with the Hitachi HT7700 S/TEM in the NUANCE, EPIC Facility.
