Have you ever wondered what inked paper looks like at the microscale? Our latest Under the Microscope winner Andrei had that very same thought and decided to submit the idea to us, and we were excited to image it! We produced two inked paper samples; 1) written letters ("nmRC") using a ballpoint pen, and 2) a printed University of Nottingham castle logo. Both samples were then imaged using Scanning Electron Microscopy to observe any differences. In both high magnification images the paper fibres can be observed, but the ink produced by the printer appears far more globular than that of the pen which appears more grainy, and sand-like!
To submit your own idea for electron microscopy imaging, visit our website here!
Imaging was conducted using a JEOL JCM-7000 Neoscope SEM operated by Dr Luke Norman (Knowledge Exchange Fellow).
Nanoscale and Microscale Research Centre
Cripps South buildingUniversity of NottinghamUniversity Park Nottingham, NG7 2RD
telephone: +44 (0) 115 95 15046 email: nmcs@nottingham.ac.uk