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Sunday, May 22, 2011

And the Winner Is ... Nanocones!

ScienceShot: And the Winner Is ... Nanocones!

sn-nanocones.jpg
Credit: Jennifer Atchison

It may resemble a sea anemone, but this spiky little devil is a clump of silicon nanocones only a few micrometers tall and 1/50,000 the width of a human hair. The cones were grown by Jennifer Atchison, a graduate student in materials science at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, using a twist on a technique known as chemical vapor deposition. And this color-enhanced electron microscope image of them has won Atchison first prize in the inaugural photo contest of Chemical & Engineering News, which is published by the American Chemical Society. For besting the 250 other entrants, Atchison says she won "$250 and bragging rights." Runners-up can be seen at the magazine's web site.

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