Researchers from our institute capture hundreds of images every year as they explore problems and processes on a nanoscale. These amazing images are rarely shared outside of the research context.
Our Scientific Image Competition is a chance to celebrate the unique images produced, as well as the diverse research behind them.
In late 2019 an expert judging panel including Monique Russell from Blend Creative Design Agency, and Emeritus Professor Ian Gibbins voted for the Scientific Image of the Year.
Zhen He, a PhD candidate supervised by Professor Sarah Harmer, took home the honour and was awarded a gift voucher valued at $200. His winning image, Formation of covellite by Zhen He will be used for the Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology annual report cover.
For the first time in the competition’s history, a People’s Choice Competition/Award was announced. With over 200 voters participating, it was Aghil Igder’s, image Nano Beehives, a membrane fabricated in the Vortex Fluidic Device electron microscope, that was the stand out winner.
Aghil, a PhD candidate supervised by Professor Colin Raston, will enjoy lunch at Flinders multi award-winning café, Alere.
A stem cross section from a native Australian ‘hop bush’ plant coated with a silver photographic gel.
One-step fabrication of alginate hydrogel microneedles using the Vortex Fluidic Device where a sodium alginate solution is injected in a calcium chloride solution in an angled rapidly rotating tube. For the first time, we found a significant change in the surface morphology of the alginate hydrogel films using different feed inlet diameter and rotation speeds. The proposed onestep facile fabrication of alginate films with different surface morphologies, has tangible potential for applications in the biomedical field including cell- surface studies and sustainable drug delivery.
Successful assembly of virus protein over DNA nanostructures (two biomolecules) in the centre. The excess of empty small spherical virus-like particles with homogenous size confirms the assembly. These assembled particles have direct application as smart carriers in the field of nanomedicine.
A film of cyanobacteria.
The image is of a cluster of diatoms from the Flinders University lake. I conducted a preliminary with Dr. Martin Cole from NewSpec, to test TM4000 series electron microscope.
Copper sulfide (CuS) minerals formed by replacing chalcopyrite (CuFeS2).
Transparent gallenene sheet sitting on a gallium sphere.
The individual “planks” are formed from silica nanoparticles clumped together that lifted off the surface as they dried.
A fan shaped diatom growing on carbon cloth.
A cross section of a leaf of the native Australian ‘Hop Bush’ plant. The leaf was embedded with resin, cut with a glass knife and stained blue to show the cell structure of the leaf.
A hierarchical flower-like structure with hundreds of nanopetals is developed by mixing copper sulphate with a protein (bovine serum albumin or BSA) in a vortex fluidic device (VFD). This single step process significantly reduces the conventional processing time from 3 days into half an hour, which is ready to be used for enzymatic reactions and diagnostic sensors
VFD mediated Polysulfone (PSF) filtration Membrane.
A cross section SEM imaging of a Polysulfone (PSF) filtration membrane fabricated from a phase-inversion process after micromixing the polymer solution in the Vortex Fluidic Device.
A reflection on ceramic adhesive caused an image of the electron gun in the SEM to form, appearing to peak around the warped image of the ceramic surface.
The shear stress in the dynamic thin film of the VFD has the ability of fabricated p-Phosphonato calix[4]arenes.
Scanning electron microscope image of a shattered oxide layer that formed on the surface of stainless steel during a high temperature heat treatment.
Recently triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have been introduced to be a sustainable candidate in energy harvesting applications. With the help of artificial intelligence, we numerically predicted the outputs of TENGs, and presented a high-powered and lightweight generation of TENGs.
The individual “planks” are formed from silica nanoparticles clumped together that lifted off the surface as they dried.
SEM image of diatom species on a carbon fibre. The carbon fibre is covered in extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and bacteria (biofilm), which is the origin of marine growth (fouling). By applying only 900 millivolts vs. Ag|AgCl to the carbon cloth electrode the marine growth can be prevented.
We’re looking at the grain structure of titanium. The colours show us the orientation the titanium crystals are in and that tells us how strong the titanium is.
Scale model of iconic Bert Flugelman sculpture The Spheres, rendered in silica.
Coloured SEM image of aluminium powder particles used as a starting material for metal LMD 3D-printing. Particles are approximately 40µm wide., FOV 100µm.
The image is of Alexandrium leei algae cells observed at 40x magnification using an IX73 Olympus Japan inverted microscope. Alexandrium leei is a non-toxic dinoflagellate, that I had the opportunity of working with whilst studying at the Institute of Oceanology Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOCAS) through the NCP program.
Images of Euglena gracilis cells incubated with lipid specific aggregation induced emission (AIE) nanoprobe, DPAS (C20H16N2O) and commercial lipid specific fluorescent probe, BODIPY (Bright-field image: A; Fluorescence images - Chlorophyll: B, BODIPY (Bright-field image: A; Fluorescence images - Chlorophyll: B, BODIPY: C, and DPAS: D; Merged image: E), and the enlarged regions (F, G, H, I, and J for bright-field, reduced chlorophyll, BODIPY, DPAS stained cells and merged image, respectively). Cells were cultured in modified Cramer–Myers medium (MCM), under nitrogen and calcium starved but glucose supplemented dark condition. Images were taken with Zeiss LSM 880 Airyscan confocal microscope
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