NanoArt Competition

NanoArt Competition

2022 Winners

Nanoboomerang Forest

Most Unique Capability

Artists: Shawn Wimer (Graduate Student), Dr. Ufuk Kilic, and Dr. Matthew Hilfiker
Tool: FEI Helios NanoLab 660 and FEI Tecnai Osiris (S)TEM

Nanoboomerang Forest.

Recently, there has been a paradigm shift in the engineering of optical materials from single material building blocks to the hybridized metamaterial platforms which can unlock new possibilities in the manipulation of chiral light-matter interactions at nano scale. This collage image shows our new metamaterial design: wafer-scale-area deposited, spatially coherent, super-lattice type, three-dimensional, distorted L-shape plasmonic hybrid metamaterial so-called plasmonic Nanoboomerang. Here, the scanning electron microscope image (SEM) from the tilted cross section of the sample was shown with the top view SEM image and the Scanning-Transmission-Electron-Microscopy image with atomic resolution energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy-based material mapping as insets.

Helical Metamaterial Platform

Most Stunning

by Shawn Wimer (Graduate Student), Dr. Ufuk Kilic, and Dr. Matthew Hilfiker
Tool: FEI Tecnai Osiris (S)TEM

Helical Metamaterial Platform

Here, the highly porous, super-lattice type, periodic arrangements of nano-plasmonic, right-handed Silicon (Si)-Silver(Ag) chiral heterostructure metamaterial platform were fabricated by means of subsequent and repeated electron-beam glancing angle deposition from Si and Ag sources. The figure collage shows the scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) image which enabled a prominent ability to create contrast and distinguish Si and Ag sub-helical segments (left image), the high-angle-annular-dark-field STEM enabled to focus on isolated single helicaL heterostructure system (right top image) and the atomic resolution energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy-based material mapping enables to map the material along single Si-Ag helical heterostruture metamaterial (right bottom image).

Sandhill Crane

Most Whimsical

Artist: Shawn Wimer (PhD student) and Ufuk Kilic (post doc)
Tool: FEI Tecnai Osiris (S)TEM

Sandhill Crane

This image is of a helical silicon nanostructure and a bit of extra broken material from another structure hanging from the carbon nanofilm of a TEM grid. The nanostructures are deposited as a dense film, usually 100-300 nm thick, and have optical applications related to the change in polarization of incident and transmitted light.

2021 Winners

Butterfly

Most Unique Capability

Artists: A.A. Kovalev and Bo Li
Tool: mumax3 micromagnetic simulator and Wolfram Mathematica

The image represents Hofstadter’s butterfly describing magnons -- excitations in a small sample made of an antiferromagnet.

The image represents Hofstadter’s butterfly describing magnons -- excitations in a small sample made of an antiferromagnet. The horizontal axis corresponds to the strength of spin-orbit interaction gradient while the vertical axis corresponds to energy. Due to the presence of magnetic field the picture reveals fractal, self-similar pattern. Surprisingly, rather than revealing the typical Hofstadter’s butterfly corresponding to electrons, antiferromagnetic magnons reveal Hofstadter’s butterfly corresponding to Klein-Gordon equation typically used in high-energy physics.

A Micro Blooming Lotus

Most Stunning - NNCI Winner

by Aofei Mao and Peixun Fan
Tool: Nanoscribe Photonic Professional GT and Hitachi S4700 field emission scanning electron microscope

When engineers become artists, a micro blooming lotus with a dimension smaller than the diameter of human hair was created via a microscale 3D printing technology: two-photon polymerization (Nanoscribe Photonic Professional GT).

When engineers become artists, a micro blooming lotus with a dimension smaller than the diameter of human hair was created via a microscale 3D printing technology: two-photon polymerization (Nanoscribe Photonic Professional GT). To make sure the over-hang features of this tiny lotus could survive, Ph.D. student Aofei Mao, Dr. Peixun Fan, and Prof. Yongfeng Lu from the Laser Assisted Nano-Engineering Lab invented their “gradient polymerization” technique by finely controlling the printing parameters. The sample was sputtering-coated for SEM imaging using a Hitachi S4700 field emission scanning electron microscope.

Rocky Marshland

Most Whimsical

Artist: Oghenetega Allen Obewhere
Tool: Anasys afm+ AFM

A 3-D contact resonance atomic force microscopy (CR-AFM) phase image of thin-film ion-conducting polymer (Nafion) and Platinum nanoparticles (Pt-NPs).

A 3-D contact resonance atomic force microscopy (CR-AFM) phase image of thin-film ion-conducting polymer (Nafion) and Platinum nanoparticles (Pt-NPs). Ion conducting polymers play a crucial role as binders on the electrode surface of electrochemical devices where they help to fix the catalysts to the electrode surface. An optimized ratio of catalyst/ionomer is needed for the efficient electrochemical reactions at the electrodes of these devices. This CR-AFM surface image elucidates the extent of nanoparticles dispersion within the ionomer film (Nafion, blue and Pt-NPs, green) at this loading and it has been recreated as a rocky coastal marshland in the dark.

2020 Winners

Most Stunning NNCI Honorable Mention
by: Kossi Loic M Avegnon
Optical Microscopy of 316 stainless steel additively manufactured
"Optical Microscopy of 316 stainless steel
additively manufactured"

Department of Mechanical & Materials Engineering
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Michael Sealy
Tool (NERCF): Keyence Laser Scanning Microscope VK-X200K

Most Unique Capability
by: Zahra Ahmadi
The Sunset
"The Sunset"

Department of Mechanical & Materials Engineering
Faculty Advisor: Prof. Jeff Shield
Tool: FEI Tecnai Osiris (Scanning) Transmission Electron Microscope

Most Whimsical
by: Seefat Farzin and Mohammad Mazharul Islam
Sakura on TEM Grid
"Sakura on TEM Grid"

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Shudipto Konika Dishari (Farzin) and Dr. Rajib Saha (Islam)
Tool: FEI Tecnai Osiris S/TEM



2019 Winners

Most Stunning
by Loic Constantin

The Copper Garden
"The Copper Garden"
Most Unique Capability
by Ufuk Kilic and Mathew Hilfiker

SiAg Chiral nanoplasmonic metasurfaces
"SiAg Chiral nanoplasmonic metasurfaces"
Most Whimsical
by Seefat Farzin and Mohammad Mazharul Islam

Happiness Comes in Waves
"Happiness Comes in Waves"



2016

1st place
H. F. Haghshenas & M. Khedmati
"Bee Family"


First Place 2016
Bee Family 2016

2nd place
Lei Li, Xiwei Zheng, Xiao Cheng Zeng
"Water Sunbathing on Nano-beach"


Second Place 2016
Sunbathing 2016



2014-15

Pinaki Mukherjee and Dr. Enders
Nano-Art Competition banner image
Pinaki Mukherjee and Dr. Enders

1st place
Pinaki Mukherjee, Physics & Astronomy
"Nano Bonica"

Pinaki Nano Bonica

1st place
Tyler Holm, Mechanical & Materials Engineering
"A Late Spring in March"

Holm Late Spring

1st place
Ehsan Rezai, Mechanical & Materials Engineering
"Nuclei"

Rezaeo nuclei

1st place (Scientist / Artist group)
Wei Xiong & Joel Brehm, Electrical Engineering
"Nano Mushrooms"

Xiong nano mushrooms

2nd place
Zhangping Xu, Mechanical & Materials Engineering
"Nanoscale French Fries"

Xu nano french fries

Honorable Mention
Premkumar Thirugnanam, Electrical Engineering
"Nanosunflowers"

Premkumar nano sunflowers

Honorable Mention
Alexey Lipatov, Chemistry
"Inverse Opal"

Lipatov nano oval

Honorable Mention
Gilbert Mbah & Thomas Smith, Chemistry
"Manganese Oxide Nanoflowers"

Mbah nano flowers

Honorable Mention
Qingfeng Dong, Mechanical & Materials Engineering
"Flower of PVDF"

Dong nano flower