Hans U. Danzebrink

Flow in Colors, 2018

Composite photomicrograph
Area approximately 3x3 millimeters; Zeiss Axiophot2 equipped with EC Epiplan 5x/0.13 HD objective;
Axiocam; white light illumination, dark-field contrast, and post-capture coloring;
a composite of multiple images stitched together

Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt
Braunschweig, Germany

This image is part of a study in which a droplet of a liquid suspension of nanoparticles (PMMA, 190 nanometers in diameter) was placed onto a silicon surface and dried. This created a circular pattern sharing different particle densities. Nanoparticles are among the most controversial materials in science today. They could revolutionize drug delivery and enhance medical imaging, but they also provoke concerns about unknown influences to health and the environment. The imaging technique combines optical microscopy and scanning probe techniques—atomic force microscopes—that bridge the micro- and nanoscales.