 |
|
|
A crystalline tulip, sculpted by chemistry. (Image courtesy of Wim L. Noorduin.) |
|
Harvard researchers grow garden of nanoscience delights
http://www.boston.com/news/science/blogs/science-in-mind/2013/05/16/harvard-researchers-grow-garden-nanoscience-delights/E3oYRwy8VMZlz3RDIENpfP/blog.html
"The garden is marvelously lush, with hundreds of blossoming roses, tulips, lilies, and curvaceous, fungi-like plants. But these petals, twisting stems, and finely wrought leaves are invisible to the naked eye: Grown in the lab, this nano-landscape is best seen with an electron microscope…..
"…Altering the acidity or alkalinity of a solution could cause crystal blossoms to grow outward into a bell shape, or to make them curl inward. Combining these kinds of techniques, they could create tendrils, the nested layers of petals in a rose, and the delicate cup of a tulip—which Noorduin felt especially obligated to grow, because he is Dutch. He was able to grow even more complex structures, such as a stem, a leaf, and a flower, all contained in a vase."
June 14, 2010
|
