The bouquet in this scanning electron microscope image measures about 50 micrometers across. Researchers used simple starting materials—barium chloride (a salt) and sodium silicate (glass)—that self-assemble into crystals....[More]
MICRO-TULIP BOUQUET:
The bouquet in this scanning electron microscope image measures about 50 micrometers across. Researchers used simple starting materials—barium chloride (a salt) and sodium silicate (glass)—that self-assemble into crystals. The materials are in solution and will grow into crystals whose shapes are sculpted by environmental conditions such as temperature, acidity and the amount of carbon dioxide.
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Wim L. Noorduin, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
INTELLIGENT DESIGN:
Spiky flowers grown on a base of budded globs show off the researchers’ ability to design complex forms using this new technique. Previous attempts to grow 3-D microstructures involved setting up the initial conditions and then letting the process unfold....[More]
INTELLIGENT DESIGN:
Spiky flowers grown on a base of budded globs show off the researchers’ ability to design complex forms using this new technique. Previous attempts to grow 3-D microstructures involved setting up the initial conditions and then letting the process unfold. This is the first time researchers were able to design specific structures. By investigating precisely which conditions molded each shape, they were able to develop a sequence of environmental parameters that would sculpt complex structures such as this one.
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Wim L. Noorduin, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
SHAPE AND DEPTH:
The structures form on the surface of a submerged glass plate. As external carbon dioxide flows into the system, it begins to dissolve into the solution, creating a gradient: more carbon dioxide near the surface than at the bottom....[More]
SHAPE AND DEPTH:
The structures form on the surface of a submerged glass plate. As external carbon dioxide flows into the system, it begins to dissolve into the solution, creating a gradient: more carbon dioxide near the surface than at the bottom. The salt and glass molecules are very sensitive to this environmental cue, so how they grow will depend on depth. Stems form near the solution’s surface, cones at mid-depth and coral folds at its bottom.
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Wim L. Noorduin, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
GROWN IN A VASE:
These flowers grown in thin vases are made one piece at a time: First the vases, then the stems and finally a short burst of carbon dioxide that induces the stems to bloom into flowers....[More]
GROWN IN A VASE:
These flowers grown in thin vases are made one piece at a time: First the vases, then the stems and finally a short burst of carbon dioxide that induces the stems to bloom into flowers. The materials are very responsive to even minute changes in the environmental conditions, making each flower unique. As the materials come out of solution, they change the carbon dioxide level in their immediate vicinity and thus the shapes of their blooming neighbors.
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Wim L. Noorduin, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
PLEATED PETALS:
The pleated petals of this carnation-like structure hint at how this technique can be used for more than just the creation of aesthetically pleasing micro-bouquets....[More]
PLEATED PETALS:
The pleated petals of this carnation-like structure hint at how this technique can be used for more than just the creation of aesthetically pleasing micro-bouquets. The process could also have applications for products that depend heavily on catalysts—substances that speed up chemical reactions. Three-dimensional folds translate to packing more surface area into a small space, which means more room for attaching catalysts. Increasing the number of catalysts would promote faster reactions and, presumably, more of the product in a shorter amount of time.
Three-dimensional folds translate to packing more surface area into a small space. This could have applications for products that depend heavily on catalysts—substances that speed up chemical reactions. More surface area means more room for attaching catalysts, thereby promoting faster reactions.
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Wim L. Noorduin, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
MICRO-MORSE CODE:
Each of these micro-vessels encode a letter in Morse code via the thickness of their ripples. Researchers are able to control the size of the ripples by either raising the carbon dioxide level and causing the wall of the structure to thicken or lowering it so that the wall thins out....[More]
MICRO-MORSE CODE:
Each of these micro-vessels encode a letter in Morse code via the thickness of their ripples. Researchers are able to control the size of the ripples by either raising the carbon dioxide level and causing the wall of the structure to thicken or lowering it so that the wall thins out.
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Wim L. Noorduin, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
SPIRAL-STEMMED CARNATION:
Double-spiraled stems, such as the one shown here, form when acidity rises. Unlike the outward growth that results from a change in carbon dioxide level, a shift in acidity leads to inward growth, resulting in leaves, globs or spirals....[More]
SPIRAL-STEMMED CARNATION:
Double-spiraled stems, such as the one shown here, form when acidity rises. Unlike the outward growth that results from a change in carbon dioxide level, a shift in acidity leads to inward growth, resulting in leaves, globs or spirals. As a crystal grows, it changes the conditions in its local environment, and the complex feedback between crystal and environment determines which of these shapes will develop.
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Wim L. Noorduin, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
DOUBLE-SPIRALS:
A close-up of a double spiral that has been cut through reveals how this shape forms. As one stem spirals, it leaves a trail of lower acidity toward which the other grows and vice versa....[More]
DOUBLE-SPIRALS:
A close-up of a double spiral that has been cut through reveals how this shape forms. As one stem spirals, it leaves a trail of lower acidity toward which the other grows and vice versa. Both end up following one another’s tails all the way up to form the structure.
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Wim L. Noorduin, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
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7 Comments
Add CommentFascinating pictures.
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Does the process also produce the various colors, or were the colors added later?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisRuth, read the article again.
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Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI'm from Mexico. On May 13, 2013 I could see the charges of my subscription but I don't known what the status is.
¿Where can I see my order? I printed the Order Summary but the account information is missing then I can access your online Customer Service center.
I want to know when the first magazine will arrive to my home.
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