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This transmission electron microscope image shows a single silicon nanowire. Thermoelectric materials convert heat to electricity and vice versa. Most fossil-fuel-powered engines generate waste heat, so researchers are using nanotechnologies to explore ways of making thermoelectric devices more efficient in...

This is a scanning electron microscope image of a single strand of human hair. • SIZE: The diameter of a human hair ranges from about 50 µm to 100 µm. • IMAGING TOOL: Scanning electron microscope

This is a scanning electron microscope image of a silica nanowire on a silica aerogel surface. New technologies have made it possible to draw glass in long, ultra-smooth wires with uniform diameters in the nanometer range. Because of their extraordinary...

The gecko's amazing ability to cling to vertical or inverted surfaces is due to the interaction between nanoscale structures on its feet and tiny crevices on the wall or ceiling. The soles of gecko feet are made up of overlapping...

Platinum atoms are arranged in closely packed hexagonal layers. A top view of this hexagonal structure is shown in this scanning tunneling microscope image. Platinum has applications in automotive engineering, chemical processing, jewelry, electronics, and wires and electrical contacts for...

This scanning electron microscope image shows a zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowire photodetector device grown by photolithography. Nanowires geometry and structure make them both sensitive to light and efficient low-noise signaling devices, so they are ideally suited for applications involving light—such...

This is an optical microscope image of a liquid crystal (Cromlyn in water). The colors are created by molecular variations or changes in the crystal's thickness. Liquid crystals have properties of both liquids and solids: Although they can flow like...

This scanning electron microscope image shows pollen particles from a variety of common plants: sunflower, morning glory, hollyhock, lily, primrose, and castor bean. • SIZE: The smallest pollen grains are about 6-8 µm in diameter. • IMAGING TOOL: Scanning electron...

The colors of the Blue Morpho's wing are generated by nanometer-sized structures on the wing's scales. In this image, only the light passing through the wing is seen, revealing the wing's pigment-produced brown hue. The Blue Morpho is common in...

This is a scanning electron microscope image of vertical arrays of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires on a sapphire substrate. Zinc oxide (ZnO) is an ideal material for nanoscale optoelectronics, electronics, and biotechnology applications. Numerous ZnO-based devices have already been developed,...

Scientists working in the Cornell NanoScale Science & Technology Facility

The iridescent colors of the Blue Morpho Butterfly's wings are produced by nanostructures that reflect different wavelengths of light. The Blue Morpho is common in Central and South America and known for its bright blue wings. However, these iridescent colors...

This is a scanning electron microscope image of a silicon nanowire array synthesized for thermoelectric applications. Thermoelectric materials convert heat to electricity and vice versa. Most fossil-fuel-powered engines generate waste heat, so researchers are using nanotechnologies to explore ways of...

This is an optical microscope image of a human venule—a tiny blood vessel. A venule is tiny blood vessel that connects capillaries—where the blood exchanges the oxygen it carries for carbon dioxide—to larger veins leading back to the heart. •...

The gecko's amazing ability to cling to vertical or inverted surfaces is due to the interaction between nanoscale structures on its feet and tiny crevices on the wall or ceiling. The soles of gecko feet are made up of overlapping...

The Lotus Effect describes water droplets rolling off leaf surfaces, removing dirt and contaminants in the process. This phenomenon can also be seen in the more common nasturtium. Scanning electron microscope images show that nasturtium leaves are covered by waxy...

This scanning electron micrograph shows a gallium nitride nanowire photodetector device with a zinc oxide core grown by e-beam lithography. The geometry and structure of nanowires make them both sensitive to light and efficient low-noise signaling devices, so they are...

To create this optical microscope image, gold nanoshells were dispersed in a drop of water which then dried on a glass microscope slide. The colors are due to selective scattering of light by nanoscale particles. Gold Nanoshells have a variety...

Air bubbles trapped beneath a silicon crystal film are shown in this optical microscope image. Light passing through the bubbles creates the circular patterns and colors. Extremely thin films like these have important electrical properties and therefore find numerous applications...

The nanoscale structures on a gecko's foot enable it to cling to most surfaces. This scanning electron microscope image shows multiwalled carbon nanotubes attached to a polymer backing, an experiment designed to replicate the gecko foot's adhesive properties. The gecko's...

This scanning electron micrograph depicts a silicon crystal nanomachined into an antenna oscillator that can vibrate about 1.5 billion times per second. The antenna-type oscillator is a nanomachined single-crystal structure of silicon. Using this design, movements 1000 times smaller than...

Scientists working in the Cornell NanoScale Science & Technology Facility

This is a scanning electron microscope image of a photonic crystal. The periodic arrangement of the holes in the material controls the movement of light within the crystal. A photonic crystal's highly ordered and repetitive structure affects the way light...

The cholera bacteria in this scanning electron microscope image cause a potentially fatal disease of the digestive system. • SIZE: These bacteria are each about 500 nm wide and 1-2 µm long. • IMAGING TOOL: Scanning electron microscope

A bundle of singlewalled nanotubes processed into a thin sheet is shown in this scanning electron microscope image. Singlewalled nanotubes are extremely important in the continuing miniaturization of electronic devices. These tubes have an average diameter of 1-2 nm. Their...