Friday, March 29, 2024

Timer

McMaster researcher mounts tiny flag within surface of a penny

First Published:

A McMaster University researcher is celebrating Canada’s 150 in a very tiny way.

Travis Casagrande, a research engineer with the Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy, has fabricated a microscopic Canadian flag hidden within the surface of a penny.

Casagrande and his team used a focused ion beam microscope to mount the three-dimensional flag on a flagpole 1/100th the diameter of a human hair.

Casagrande created the tiny flag by using a focused beam of charged particles to carve a tiny hole in the penny, leaving the flagpole standing in the centre.

He then moved the beam to a different area and cut the flag from the material’s surface. Casagrande ‘raised’ the flag by attaching it to the pole with a deposited metal layer. The maple leaf design was carved into the flag using the focused beam.

penny-flag-closeup

“At the Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy, part of our mission is to spread knowledge of materials science and the capabilities of electron microscopy to a broad Canadian audience. It is great fun, this year, to combine this with our little contribution to Canada’s birthday celebrations,” said CCEM Scientific Director Gianluigi Botton.

Casagrande said the project was inspired by Canada’s 150th birthday and to demonstrate the capabilities of one of the centre’s high-powered microscopes.

penny-surface

penny-letter-E-closeup

 flag-in-penny (3)

More Top News

Ontario school boards suing TikTok, Meta, and Snapchat

Four of Ontario's largest school boards are suing the parent companies of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. The boards are alleging the social media platforms...

Evening weather forecast for March 28, 2024

Shelly Marriage shares the forecast for March 28, 2024 and the days ahead.

Experts warn drivers to be careful on eclipse day

Researchers from Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto are warning drivers to beware in the hours before and after the big solar eclipse on...

Premier Ford rejects Ottawa’s bill of rights and protection funds for tenants

Premier Doug Ford is going along with the Quebec government in rejecting Ottawa's attempt to help renters. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave...

Hamilton mayor intends to use strong mayor powers for affordable housing

Residents and businesses near two Stoney Creek parking lots are disappointed after Hamilton mayor Andrea Horwath decided to use her strong mayor powers to...

Date set for inquest into death of man during Halton police shootout in 2018

A provincial coroner has set a date for an inquest into a man's death after a shootout with Halton police almost six years ago. Ahmadu...