pARTicles

Computer simulations illustrate star explosions and shed light on concepts like dark matter. Brad Gallagher and Mike Papka, SM’02, PhD’09, show the thermonuclear-powered combustion of a Type Ia supernova.

Subjected to high temperatures and pressure, the chemical compound europium oxycarbonate forms tiny crystalline buds and may emit bright red light. Its luminescence could make it useful in lasers and optical-storage devices. Photographed by nanoscientist Vilas G. Pol.

Captured by Paul Podsiadlo and Elena Shevchenko, this vibrant pattern shows lead-sulfide nanocrystals evaporated on top of silicon. The circular islands represent larger, 3D “supercrystals.” The colors are natural, untouched by photo-editing tools.

This blue-hued design, photographed by Darling and Muruganathan Ramanathan, is a thin, smooth film made up of polymers, or molecule chains, that have formed into circular configurations. The film’s uses range from energy-conversion technologies to data storage.

Created from a polymer film of both organic and inorganic materials, this image shows microscale structures etched in silicon nitride. The pattern was captured by Darling and Ramanathan, who are working to better understand the forces behind polymers.

Darling and Chicago’s Steven Sibener, the Carl William Eisendrath professor of chemistry, show a layer of two materials on a gold surface. Made up of short and long molecules, the rippled substance lets scientists adjust properties such as how the surface interacts with water.

Each petaled blossom represents a compact assembly of lead-sulfide nanoparticles interacting. These configurations, photographed by Podsiadlo and Shevchenko, may have uses for solar cells, thermoelectricity, and other energy technologies.

The psychedelic pattern, captured by Podsiadlo and Shevchenko, comes from a thin layer of lead-sulfide nanocrystals evaporated atop a silicon surface. The black branch is a deliberate scratch on the smooth area and creates a rough patch where crystals are more likely to form.

Pol used an electron microscope to photograph these balls of pure carbon, formed in a closed reactor with high pressure and heat. Their conducting properties make the particles useful for lithium-ion batteries and as components for printer and toner ink.

Using Argonne X-rays, Northwestern biochemists A. C. Rosenzweig and R. L. Lieberman chart bacteria’s first step in converting methane to methanol, a process that could make natural gas a viable energy alternative. The ribbon-like figure is the enzyme that kicks off the process.