Description This wavy image is a field of long, thin nanofibers. These spaghetti-like fibers are thinner than 1/10,000th of a human hair, and just like hair, they can lay in straight lines or get tangled up in nests. Each individual fiber is too small to see, even with a microscope, so the researchers have applied a special computer program to observe how and where the fibers align. Wherever a large clump of fibers lies in the same direction, that area is brightly colored. Wherever it is black, the fibers are all facing different directions. The individual colors assigned depend on the angle of the fibers. Red patches show places where the strands lay horizontally while green and blue areas are vertically aligned. This is easiest to see around the edges of the black circle (a tiny air bubble). The fibers bend around the bubble, lying at each angle along its edge and creating a rainbow.Northwestern University Department of Materials Science & Engineering Tools & Techniques: Fluorescence Microscope + colored in ImageJ
Science In Society Northwestern University's Recent Work
About the artist
Science In Society Northwestern University Member Since November 2013 Artist Statement Science in Society is a Northwestern University research center dedicated to science outreach and public engagement.
These images stem from cutting-edge research on campus, winning our annual Scientific Images Contest which goes on display in galleries across Chicago.
Through partnerships with schools and community groups, we train Northwestern researchers to share their expertise and creativity in a community centered way. Sales from these images goes to support our education and outreach activities, connecting researchers to the wider community.