I had only heard about Scanning Electron Microscopes in textbooks until I saw a real one last week. Better still, the SEM was used to analyze nanoparticles I had made!
This summer, I will be working in Prof. Dufresne’s Soft Matter Lab using the $4200 research stipend provided by the course called Perspectives on Science and Engineering. In preparation, Prof. Dufresne suggested I learn how to synthesize 200nm polystyrene and silica nanoparticles with guidance from Jason Forster, a Post Doctoral student graduating this year, and Raphael Sarfati, a Graduate student from Paris. It felt really good to be back in the lab working with nanoparticles again. I’m really looking forward to diving deep into the realms of nano this coming summer!
I also had the chance to demonstrate the synthesis of gold nanoparticles using a technique I had learnt from Prof. J Dutta and Prof. L Hornyak at the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand. The cool thing about the synthesis is how commercial Ajinamoto monosodium glutamate can be used as the reducing agent. So we literally took a walk over to “Hong Kong Market” (a store very close to Yale with Asian goodies) and got hold of a $2 bag of MSG. And it worked!
Below are the SEM images of the silica, polystyrene and gold nanoparticles. Next to the Scanning Electron Microscope at the Yale Institute for Nanoscience and Quantum Engineering (YINQE) sits one of the world’s most powerful commercially available Transmission Electron Microscopes, capable of simultaneously analyzing a sample’s elemental components through X-Ray diffraction.
In the same week, my original composition for the Yale Jazz Ensemble titled “Tuk Tuk’n” premiered at the Yale School of Music during the concert series named “Home Grown”. Every year, the Yale Jazz Ensemble performs music written by past and present jazz composers. The evening featured works by professional musicians who graduated from the School of Music, current School of Music students and also undergraduates. It was such an inspiring experience to play with and have a composition performed by such an amazing sounding band!
I named the piece after the Thai invention called a “Tuk Tuk,” a crossover between a tricyle and motorbike. I thought the funky vehicle was a perfect name for this funky tune! Check out the recording here.
Silica Nanoparticles
Polystyrene Nanoparticles
Gold Nanoparticles