4 <p> A team of chemistry researchers at UW-Madison has put a new twist on an old philosophical riddle: How many Bucky Badger mascots can you fit on the head of a pin? </p> <p> The answer: 9,000, with a little help from nanotechnology. To view the diminutive mascot, click here: <a href="http://www.news.wisc.edu/newsphotos/nanobucky.html">http://www.news.wisc.edu/newsphotos/nanobucky.html</a> </p> <p> NanoBucky, created in the research lab of UW-Madison chemistry professor Robert J. Hamers, is composed of tiny carbon nanofiber "hairs," each just 75 nanometers in diameter. (A nanometer is equivalent to 1 billionth of a meter.) NanoBucky provides an entertaining illustration of the astounding scale under which nanotechnology pioneers ply their trade. </p> <p> The nanofibers, one of several nanostructured forms of carbon developed in the last several years, have numerous potential applications and could play a role in the development of such things as tiny sensors for detecting chemical and biological agents. They may also have use in energy storage applications such as capacitors and lithium-ion batteries. </p> <p> The fibers, and NanoBucky, are "grown" in a plasma deposition chamber where a mix of acetylene and ammonia gas are used with electrical current to prompt the growth of the nanofibers on a silicon substrate patterned with a nickel catalyst. The pattern for the catalyst is composed on a computer and is then traced on the substrate by a beam of electrons. </p> <p> For more information on the fundamental science underlying NanoBucky, contact Hamers at (608) 262-6371; hamers@chem.wisc.edu<br /> </p> A team of chemistry researchers at UW-Madison has put a new twist on an old philosophical riddle: How many Bucky Badger mascots can you fit on the head of a pin? The answer: 9,000, with a little help from nanotechnology. The World's Tiniest Badger? 11466 2005-09-29T00:00:00-05:00 2005-08-29T00:00:00-05:00 11466 true trdevitt@wisc.edu Terry 4 Devitt 3615 true