The University of Nottingham's Nanoscale and Microscale Research Centre (NMRC) has used Nottingham bridal lace as a canvas to produce a tiny and unique logo in support of the upcoming Nottingham in Parliament Day.
The NMRC's Quanta 200 3D DualBeam focussed ion beam scanning electron microscope (FIB-SEM) is no stranger to producing micro-scale messages and images, having created a celebratory message for the Queen's 90th birthday on corgi hair back in April, and holding the world record for the smallest periodic table ever made. This current project however was done to support the Nottingham in Parliament Day, taking place on the 25th of October this year. The event is held in Westminster and will celebrate the city's great heritage as well as champion its current cultural, economic and technologically innovative success.
In combining the use of high quality bridal lace (kindly donated by Elizabeth Cooke from Quintessential English Lace) for which the city is historically associated, with modern nanonscience, a field in which the University of Nottingham excels, the NMRC has produced a unique version of the event logo. At about 14 micrometers in height and 42 micrometers in width (1 micron is 0.001 of a millimetre) the logo was etched onto a single strand of the lace using the Quanta 200's gallium focussed ion beam by the expert electron microscopy team at the NMRC.
For more information on this unique creation and the Nottingham in Parliament Day see the University's news blog here. For more information on the electron microscopy facilities at the University of Nottingham visit the NMRC and ISAC webpages or contact Dr Karen Alvey or Dr Matthew Piggott.
Posted on Wednesday 17th August 2016