Argonne image "Carbon Galaxy" wins first place

Carbon Galaxy - Scientists sometimes see the very largest parts of the universe echoed in the smallest. In this award-winning image, the artist overlaid color so the micron-sized carbon particles mimic the solar system.	MRS meeting chair Prof. Chennupati Jagadish (left) congratulates Vilas Pol for winning first prize in the MRS Science as Art competition.

Carbon Galaxy, an image submitted to the 2012 Materials Research Society's (MRS) Science as Art Competition by Argonne materials scientist Vilas Pol, was awarded a Blue Ribbon and First Place.

Carbon Galaxy is a collaborative work by Argonne researchers Vilas Pol , Michael Thackeray and Dean Miller, and graphic artist Michele Nelson (view a high-resolution version of the image on Flickr).

The scanning electron micrograph of spherical carbon particles, prepared at high temperature and pressure, resembles a galaxy. These carbon particles are just a few microns across -- smaller than the diameter of a human hair. Technologically, these spherical particles are of interest as lithium-ion battery electrodes and as lubrication additives to reduce friction and wear in gasoline-powered engines.

The MRS Science as Art Competition was open to more than 6,000 registered meeting attendees. The winner was chosen by two days of voting among those who attended the conference.

Recently, Carbon Galaxy won the People's Choice Award in the 2012 Art of Science contest at Argonne.

The carbon research was supported by the Center for Electrical Energy Storage, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences. Microscopy was carried out in the Electron Microscopy Center at Argonne, an Office of Science User Facility.

December 2012