Credits: Sarah E. Baker, Kiu-Yuen Tse, Matt Marcus, Jeremy Streifer, and Prof. Robert Hamers, Dept. of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin
(For more information, contact Prof. Hamers at 608-262-6371 or )
These images are scanning electron microscope images of shapes created by patterning vertically aligned carbon nanofibers. The individual carbon nanofibers are 50-75 nanometers in diameter. The diameter of a human hair is approximately 100 microns, or 100,000 nanometers. So, the carbon nanofiber "hairs" on the Bucky Badgers below are about 1,300 times thinner than a human hair. You can fit about 6-10 complete Buckys within the width of a human hair, and you can put about 9,000 of them on the head of a pin.
The patterning was done using a LEO Supra VP Scanning electron microscope equipped with a Nabity electron-beam lithography apparatus to define a spatial pattern of nickel catalyst. The nickel catalyzes the plasma-assisted growth of the carbon nanofibers in a mixture of acetylene and ammonia. This work is based in part on research sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
High-resolution images can be viewed by clicking on the images below (Note: most high resolution images are TIF files).
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| Tilted Bucky Badger |
Tilted Bucky Badger with scale bar |
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| Another tilted bucky badger |
Another tilted bucky badger with scale bar |
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| Top-view of bucky badger |
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| Nanofiber "W", tilted view |
A smaller "W", top-down view |
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| High-resolution view of nanofibers from Bucky |
Even higher-resolution view of nanofibers from bucky |
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| NSF |
Blowup of the "N" in NSF |
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| NSF Logo, top view |
NSF Logo, top view, with scalebars |
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| NSF Logo, tilted 25 degrees |
NSF Logo, tilted 25 degrees, with scalebars |
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| Blatant Advertising |
Blatant Advertising, tilted 25 degrees |
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| H, top view |
H, tilted 25 degrees |
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| Blowup of part of the "H" in "Hamers" |
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| Hamers group Nano-mascot: Bucky Badger with an "H" |
Hamers group Nano-mascot, with scale |
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| This is the plasma growth chamber where Bucky was "grown". |
This is the scanning electron microscope where the electron-beam lithography was done. |
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