Nanotechnology at the service of art: Wim Nurduin and his microscopic flowers
Nanotechnology at the service of art: Wim Nurduin and his microscopic flowers

Video: Nanotechnology at the service of art: Wim Nurduin and his microscopic flowers

Video: Nanotechnology at the service of art: Wim Nurduin and his microscopic flowers
Video: photography video - YouTube 2024, November
Anonim
Flowers created with nanotechnology
Flowers created with nanotechnology

Today you brought me not a bouquet of lush roses, Not tulips and not lilies, You gave me very modest flowers timidly, But they are so cute … Do you think this is about lilies of the valley? No, no, nowadays it is much more effective to give "bouquets" of "mineral" nanoflowers. Miniature masterpieces created Harvard University Scientist Wim Nurduin.

Miniature flowers can only be seen under a microscope
Miniature flowers can only be seen under a microscope

The flowers created by the scientist amaze with their beauty and unusual shape, but their main distinguishing feature is their tiny size! Bizarre "plants" can be seen only under an electron microscope, because the largest of them do not exceed the diameter of a human hair!

Wim Nurduin - the creator of unique nanoflowers
Wim Nurduin - the creator of unique nanoflowers

The process of creating "flowers", at first glance, is quite straightforward (although Wim Nurduin worked for several years to achieve similar results): for his experiments, the scientist dissolved two chemical compounds in water in a simple glass test tube (hydrochloric acid and sodium silicate). CO2 from the air into the test tube triggers a reaction that forms microscopic objects. By varying parameters such as temperature, acidity and carbon dioxide, it is possible to obtain unusual shapes and shades of flowers and leaves. The process of creating a "nano-bouquet" usually takes about 4 hours.

Crystal flowers created in the laboratory of Harvard University
Crystal flowers created in the laboratory of Harvard University

Wim Nurduin is passionate about his work, comparing the crystalline compounds he creates to colonies of sponges or corals on the ocean floor. Thanks to his experiments, he wants to show that mankind is close to solving the questions about the mystery of natural species diversity, emphasizes that in the future a person will be able to independently simulate the "necessary" forms and phenomena, influencing the conditions of the reactions.

Photos of the miraculous flowers hit the cover of Science magazine this month.

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