Nanoartography 2025
Image credit: Isabel Sanchez, NanoArtography 2025
2025 Award Winners
Click on the images to see them in full size.
NanoArtography 2025 Numbers
Total submissions: over 300 from 33 countries
Best of Show
Hooked in Horror
Isabel Sánchez, Lola Molina, Daniel Gracía-Muñoz & Concepción Hernández
University of Granada, Spain
Technica Description: This false-color microphotograph reveals the detailed structure of a caterpillar proleg, a fleshy, unsegmented, and temporary abdominal appendage. Unlike thoracic legs, prolegs assist in locomotion and attachment during the larval stage, using tiny hook-like structures called crochets to grip plant surfaces. The specimen was chemically fixed and dehydrated via critical point drying with CO₂ to preserve its delicate structures. It was imaged using a scanning electron microscope.
Artistic Description: This image resembles a nightmare frozen in time—a monstrous jaw or floral trap poised to devour. The illusion of threat masks a functional design for gripping leaves. The crochets form a haunting symmetry, their textured surface shaped by low-energy electrons that carve light and shadow. Magnification turns function into metaphor, where a life-sustaining structure appears strangely sinister. Through the microscope, nature becomes a masterpiece—beautiful yet unsettling. The image width is 0.692 mm.
FIRST PLACE
The Bear’s Refuge
Ingrid Morales, Andreas Rosenkranz & Maibelin Rosales
BCMaterials - Basque Center for Materials, Applications and Nanostructures, Spain & University of Chile, Chile
Technical Description: The scanning electron microscopy image displays the surface morphology of molybdenum–titanium MXene (Mo2Ti2C3) after partial oxidation. Nanoparticles form on the MXene’s layered structure as Mo- and Ti-based oxides develop during ambient oxidation. These oxide spheres decorate the MXene sheets, highlighting the coexistence of the intrinsic layered morphology with secondary oxide phases, which influence the electronic, photothermal, and photocatalytic properties of this MXene.
Artistic Description: Amid the folds of a two-dimensional nanomaterial, oxidized MXene sheets rise like a cavern, forming a natural refuge. At its edge, a small bear sleeps upon rocks naturally sculpted by the surface transformation. Around it, oxidized spheres bloom like silent guardians, enclosing a shelter where the bear rests, cradled by the resilience of this remarkable material. The Image width is 0.0005 mm.
SECOND PLACE
Polymer Forest
Sergei Rigin
North Carolina State University, USA
Technical Description: The image is a snapshot from a coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulation (a computer simulation of atomic and molecular movement using classical physics) of a polymer brush composed of densely packed linear chains of polyethylene glycol extending away from the flat substrate.
Artistic Description: The work showcases a visual resemblance between polymer structures found in the microworld and human-scale objects like a forest, reflecting nature's ability to repeat its artistic patterns across different scales.
The Image width is 0.0005 mm.
THIRD PLACE (tie three ways)
The Snake
Bernardo Cesare
University of Padua, Italy
Technical Description: The dinosaur bone (collected from Utah) was cut, flat-polished, and glued to a glass slide, thinned to the standard 30-µm thickness, diamond-polished, and glass-covered. This “thin section” is observed by transmitted polarized light microscopy under crossed polarization mode, adding compensators (lambda) to change the interference colors. The silica fillings and positions of osteons in the bone are perfectly visible.
Artistic Description:
This bone was given to me, together with other hard semiprecious stones, by a friend who specializes in cabbing. I knew she could provide me with good, fine-grained exotic material with high aesthetic potential.
The dinosaur bone from Utah turned out to be one of the best, as the intricate bone structure and the fine-grained chalcedony filling the bone pores provide infinite combinations of shapes and colors. At a larger scale, the bone structure recalls Australian Aboriginal paintings. Close up, details of the spongy bone tissue recall mysterious scenes or creatures.
For this shot and others in the "Snake" series, I was drawn to a detail in which the dark contour of the bone tissue, the radiating rainbows of the chalcedony fillings, and the eye-like central dot (an osteon?) recall a serpent with its mouth open, ready to attack.
The Image width is 1.8 mm.
THIRD PLACE (tie three ways)
A Microscopic Roman Coliseum from 10 Million Years Ago
Brandon Antonio Segura Torres
Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Argentina
Technical Description: This colorized image shows a diatom microfossil from approximately 10 million years ago, found in Argentine Patagonia. It was captured using a scanning electron microscope.
Artistic Description: A green stone coliseum emerges from the shadows, intact after ten million years of silence. Its walls, pierced by perfect arches, evoke stands where eternity once took a seat. Time is frozen in silica, and the surrounding debris suggests the ruins of a sunken city, a hidden Rome in the sands of Patagonia. Fragments of stony coral peek through the cracks, and red spines rise like extinguished torches. This microcoliseum seems to defy oblivion, its geometry preserving beauty on a tiny scale. Each pore becomes a triumphal arch, each line a story, each shadow a memory of vanished oceans. Even the smallest structures can be monumental, reminding us that nature’s art predates every empire.
The Image width is 0.050 mm.
THIRD PLACE (tie five ways)
Human Red Blood Cells in Salt Ornament
Marija Kostić, Branimir Bajac, Elizaveta Pavlova, Marko Radenković
University of Novi Sad, Republic of Serbia
Technical Description:
A 2% suspension of red blood cells (RBCs), isolated from healthy donors (blood type B), was prepared in 10 mM phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). The cells were fixed with 1% glutaraldehyde (GA) overnight at 4 °C, followed by dehydration through a graded ethanol–water series and treatment with hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS). The samples were then rinsed three times with deionized water. The image was captured using a scanning electron microscope and colorized manually.
Artistic Description:
A Christmas tree–like structure formed by salt crystals from PBS residues, decorated with RBCs that resemble delicate holiday ornaments.
The image width is 0.106 mm.
PEOPLE'S CHOICE & PURDUE PEOPLE'S CHOICE
CdTe Sunflower: Nature’s Pattern in Solar Energy
Md Habibur Rahman
Purdue University, USA
Technical Description:
A cadmium telluride (CdTe) sunflower nanostructure was generated from a zincblende lattice (an atomistic crystal model used to simulate material behavior) using a polar modulation function. The structure was relaxed through molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using the Stillinger–Weber empirical force field, and the atomic stress distribution was mapped with color coding. The model contains ~10⁴ atoms, and the rendered image width corresponds to ~20 nm, illustrating natural symmetry and stress behavior relevant to CdTe solar cells.
Artistic Description:
This CdTe crystal takes the shape of a flower, its petals opening like a sunflower turning toward the sun. The colors are not decorative. They represent internal stress, revealing how tension and strain flow through the structure. Just as real flowers thrive in sunlight, CdTe captures it in solar cells, converting light into clean energy. It is both science and art, showing how the hidden forces within a material can bloom into something beautiful.
The image width is 0.000024 mm.
DREXEL PEOPLE'S CHOICE
Nano-Squirtle
Ikel Hernandez Casillas, Prastuti Upadhyay
Drexel University, USA
Technical Description:
This scanning electron microscopy image presents V₂C MXene, a two-dimensional transition metal carbide made of layers of vanadium interleaved with a layer of carbon. It is part of a rapidly growing family of more than 100 MXene compositions, each offering unique structural and functional properties.
Artistic Description:
A Squirtle sculpted from V₂C MXene nanosheets, where every scale represents a layer of cutting-edge nanomaterial. The piece reflects how art and science overlap—playful yet powerful, whimsical yet deeply rooted in advanced research.
The image width is 0.014 mm.
PURDUE BIRCK NANO CENTER PEOPLE'S CHOICE
TA Fish Out of Water
Elizabeth Malek
Purdue University, USA
Technical Description:
This SEM image shows broken and collapsed polyurea microcapsules. When hydrated, the capsules act as vessels to deliver their core content in a variety of applications. These small, thin capsules rupture under the high vacuum of the SEM, resulting in very unique shapes.
Artistic Description:
This image shows one large ruptured capsule taking the shape of a goldfish with its mouth open, while a smaller collapsed capsule above it resembles an eye. With the polyurea films above and below appearing like fins, the scene looks like a goldfish ready to swim out of the page!
The image width is 0.035 mm.
PURDUE MATERIALS ENGINEERING PEOPLE'S CHOICE
Ignition and Suppression
Nicole Franklin
Purdue University, USA
Technical Description:
Image shows a cross-section of a fluorine-free firefighting foam column. The image is taken with a camera through a prism, giving the otherwise 3D structure a 2D view. The black regions represent the thin liquid films that make up the foam structure, and the white spaces are the air inside each bubble.
Artistic Description:
Inspired by classic stained glass windows, this mosaic of bubbles forms a flame, transforming the firefighting foam into its opposite. Vibrant reds and yellows rise against cool blues and greens, symbolizing both fire’s destructive force and the protective science designed to contain it.
The image width is 10 mm.
HONORABLE MENTION
MXene: Echoing Decaying Glaciers
Varsha Vijayan
Cochin University of Science and Technology, India
Technical Description:
The cross-sectional field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) image illustrates a Ti3C2 MXene thin film of approximately 1 micrometre in thickness, fabricated on an indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate via a spray-coating technique. The top surface reveals a rough, flaky morphology typical of restacked MXene sheets.
Artistic Description:
The cross-sectional cracks resemble deep crevasses cutting through icy cliffs, while the textured top mimics rugged glacier peaks under a soft, blue-tinted sky. The image evokes the fragility and beauty of melting glaciers, symbolizing the urgent issue of global warming and its devastating impact on polar landscapes.
The image width is 0.030 mm.
HONORABLE MENTION
Nickel Web
Rupa Ranjani Palanisamy
University College Cork and Tyndall National Institute, Ireland
Technical Description:
“Nickel Web” is a magnified image of nickel foam, a 3D conductive scaffold widely used as a substrate for electrochemical applications. Nickel foam offers high surface area, open porosity, and excellent electrical conductivity, enabling uniform in-situ growth of active materials such as metal oxides and hydroxides. Recently, nickel foam–based electrodes have been employed to harvest low-grade waste heat. Its robustness, chemical stability, and efficient ion/electron transport make nickel foam an ideal platform for scalable supercapacitors, batteries, and thermoelectrochemical devices.
Artistic Description:
The nickel web is imagined as a carefully woven structure, much like a spider’s web suspended in air. The image reveals the hidden face of nickel foam, brought to light through the microscope. Like a web built to catch and hold its prey, the nickel web holds tightly to the tiny materials that make future energy devices possible. Its interconnected networks form pores that act as pathways, allowing current to flow easily. Colored in vivid red and yellow, the structure takes on an artistic life of its own. What was once invisible now appears as a striking fusion of science and art. “Nickel Web” reminds us that nature’s patterns often reappear in science—showing that even in the smallest details of technology, we can find creativity, strength, and wonder waiting to be seen.
The image width is 0.3 mm.
HONORABLE MENTION
Infernal Rust
Florian Maerzweiler & Mareike Schneider
TU Wien, Austria
Technical Description:
The scanning electron microscopy image depicts iron sulfide sheets that were deposited on a metallic iron substrate by sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) through biological corrosion. In the presence of a brine solution with high ionic strength—used to emulate geothermal conditions in which SRB are commonly found—the corrosion products form sheets arranged in a cone-like structure.
Artistic Description:
The cone-like structures resemble flames, which can both create and sustain life as well as destroy it. Sulfate-reducing bacteria are a fascinating example of life thriving in even the most hostile conditions, offering a striking illustration of this duality.
The image width is 0.022 mm.
HONORABLE MENTION
Aurora of the Nano-world: Where Chemistry Meets Magic
Poulomi Nandi
University of Arizona, USA
Technical Description:
Stacks of multilayer Ti3C2 MXene were produced by electrochemical etching of a MAX precursor in a non-aqueous electrolyte and imaged by scanning electron microscopy. The MAX phase served as the anode in a custom-designed electrochemical cell in binder-free powder form; a controlled current selectively removed Al to form Ti3C2 with surface terminations. Lamellae, step edges, and fractures reveal how etching opens ion pathways and boosts surface area for key applications.
Artistic Description:
A ribboned crest glows like an aurora trapped in stone, where teal, violet, and ember sweep across paper-thin layers that bend and open into a pocket of night. Motion freezes at the brink, physics turned choreography, as cool hues calm broad planes and warm tones ignite the fracture. Five micrometers above an atomic landscape, a private sky unfolds: not the northern lights, but an aurora of matter itself. Ribbons of blue, purple, and orange reveal titanium and carbon finding freedom as aluminum drifts away, a palette of bonds loosening and layers parting. In this tiny theater, science becomes poetry, and even fractured edges shimmer with intent, reminding us that wonder lives not only above us, but within the luminous space between molecules. The image width is 0.007 mm.
HONORABLE MENTION
Flamingo
María Carbajo Sánchez
Universidad de Extremadura, Spain
Technical Description:
This micrograph shows the interior of the perianth tube of a flower from the Aristolochia species and was taken with a scanning electron microscope. Prior to visualization, the specimen was coated with gold using the sputtering technique, a necessary preparation step for imaging non-conductive samples in SEM.
Artistic Description:
Some flowers have specialized and fascinating pollination mechanisms. They are often aromatic plants with a strong scent that attracts insects and structures that trap them, pollination traps. Aristolochia is one such example: its perianth tube contains inward-pointing hairs (resembling the curve of a swan’s or flamingo’s neck) that allow insects to enter but make escape difficult.
The strategy of these “tricky flowers” is ingenious: an insect enters, drawn by the scent, and becomes temporarily trapped. After several days, the flower reopens and releases the insect, now covered in pollen, ready to be deceived again by another flower, ensuring successful pollination.
The image width is 0.12 mm.
HONORABLE MENTION
Adventurous
Hans Geiser
Drexel University, USA
Technical Description:
This image shows the fracture surface of an epoxy mount used to analyze the cross-section of polylactic acid (PLA) hollow spheres under scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The goal of the experiment is to expose the internal morphology of the particles for imaging and analysis.
Artistic Description:
This piece resembles an ambitious creature, perhaps a dog, scaling a steep cliff above a distant rocky beach. Sparse shrubs interrupt the barren cliffside, while the sands below fade from the creature’s attention. One may wonder why it has ventured so far from the shore or what it is so intent on finding. There is a sense of suspense in the way it balances on a single point, yet it continues to look forward.
The image width is 0.06 mm.
HONORABLE MENTION
Bearded Dragon
Yusuf Khan
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia
Technical Description:
A covalent organic framework (COF) has been expertly deposited on a laser-scribed graphene (LSG) substrate, enhancing its performance as a positive electrode for microsupercapacitors. The image presents a detailed side view, showing the robust LSG layer at the bottom and the COF slurry paste on top. The image width is 207 µm, highlighting the precision of this layered structure.
Artistic Description:
The bearded dragon lives up to its name, with tough armor-like scales and a dramatic spiked “beard” that flares with expression. The way the covalent organic framework resembles this small dragon excites us and inspires curiosity in the field of energy storage.
The image width is 5 mm.
HONORABLE MENTION
Peeking Into the Nanoscale
Shuichiro Hayashi
Princeton University, USA
Technical Description:
This photograph, taken through the eyepiece of an optical microscope, shows a 3D carbon fiber lattice fabricated from a protein-derived aerogel using ultrashort femtosecond laser pulses. During processing, simultaneous microstructuring and nanotexturing create periodic surface ripples that generate structural coloration. The vivid blue hues arise not from pigments or dyes but from light interference with these nanoscale gratings, an effect also seen in nature, such as in the iridescence of Morpho butterfly wings. By framing the view through the microscope, the image links everyday perception to nanoscale architecture, offering a rare glimpse into the hidden beauty of engineered matter.
Artistic Description:
Through the circular frame of the microscope eyepiece, a hidden world bursts into color. A 3D carbon fiber lattice shimmers with blues and rainbow tones, its beauty born not from pigments but from nanoscale ripples etched by ultrashort laser pulses. Each fiber scatters light like a tiny prism, transforming an ordinary material into a radiant display.
The image creates a collapse of scale: the familiar view through the eyepiece reveals structures whose colors echo Morpho butterfly wings. It reminds us that light can both expose what is unseen and sculpt matter at the smallest dimensions. Here, the eyepiece becomes a portal, bridging observation, imagination, and the wonder of seeing the nanoscale illuminated.
The image width is 2 cm.
HONORABLE MENTION
Otherworld
Håkan Kvarnström
Nanolab Studios, Sweden
Technical Description:
This image shows goat willow pollen resting on the textured surface of a dry leaf. It was captured using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the final image was colorized in Photoshop to enhance contrast and reveal fine morphological details.
Artistic Description:
Rising above the folded terrain of the leaf, the pollen grains resemble watchtowers from another world—silent sentinels keeping vigil over a landscape that feels both alien and familiar. Together, these tiny forms evoke a scene of quiet guardianship, reminding us how even the smallest elements of nature can appear monumental when viewed up close.
The image width is 0.07 mm.
HONORABLE MENTION
World Cartographies
Bruno Delvene
Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain
Technical Description:
In the context of art–science, this end-of-degree fine arts project at the Complutense University of Madrid (Spain) was carried out in collaboration with the scientific institution IGME-CSIC. In geology, the standard thickness of a thin section for mineral studies is 30 microns. However, due to gypsum’s exfoliation and low hardness, it is possible to cut sheets of varying thicknesses with a scalpel. For this photograph, a gypsum sheet thicker than 0.03 mm was prepared. I conducted several experiments with gypsum samples to obtain different color ranges under crossed polars, exploring their compositions from an Aartistic perspective.
Within this art–science framework, I began a search for color palettes through minerals. By choosing thicknesses greater than the standard 30 microns, I moved beyond the gray tones used to identify gypsum and instead obtained striking, unexpected colors. What is a disadvantage in petrology becomes, in art, an opportunity to discover a unique spectrum of hues. The image resembles a hybrid map, somewhere between geological and physical. In reality, it is the surface of a transparent gypsum crystal viewed under an optical microscope with polarized light. The colors correspond to varying gypsum thicknesses as the crystal exfoliates, and the inclusions form a greenish mass that evokes a vegetated boundary. This cartography suggests that everything constructed by humans already exists, in some form, within nature itself. The image width is 6.6 mm.
HONORABLE MENTION
Coral Reef Like Nickel
Mohmmad Khalid
University of Quebe, Canada
Technical Description:
This scanning electron microscope (SEM) image shows nanoporous nickel grown on a nickel foam substrate using an electrochemical deposition method.
Artistic Description:
This vibrant microscopic image of electrochemically modified nickel resembles a blooming coral reef beneath the water. The formation of such delicate, eye-catching structures reflects how scientific creation can mirror the beauty of the natural world.
The image width is 0.025 mm.
HONORABLE MENTION
Nano Mustang
Bita Soltan Mohammadlou & Ben Davis
Drexel University, USA
Technical Description:
This scanning electron microscope (SEM) image shows gas-phase etched Ti3C2 MXene flakes that are not fully etched, resulting in lateral size variation and surface irregularities. These images were collected to evaluate and optimize the synthesis method, providing insight into etching uniformity and structural evolution during processing.
Artistic Description:
A horse’s head emerges from the nanoscale, its flowing mane and strong features shaped by fractured microstructures. Symbolizing strength, resilience, and freedom, it reflects both the power of nature and the toughness of advanced nanocomposites. This image shows how science at the smallest scale can reveal unexpected beauty.
The image width is 0.065 mm.
HONORABLE MENTION
Chlorophyll is Lava
José Manuel Martínez López
Química Tech, Mexico
Technical Description:
This image was captured using a 2.5×/0.06 EC EpiPlan-NeoFluar objective with fluorescence illumination from a UV–VIS LED XCite Xylis lamp at 90% and a filter set of EX 365, BS 405, and EM LP 415. A 2.8-megapixel CCD camera (4.54 μm × 4.54 μm pixels) with a 0.63× adapter recorded a Z-stack of 28 slices spanning 2.76 mm. The stack was deconvolved using a nearest-neighbor algorithm with automatic normalization and a scalar PSF model, then processed with extended depth of focus to generate a single sharp image. RGB channels were separated, and gamma, brightness, and contrast were adjusted individually.
Artistic Description:
This image shows a gerbera stem under fluorescence. The red regions correspond to chlorophyll, which emits red light when illuminated with 365 nm UV light. I cut the stem with a knife and placed it directly under the microscope, revealing this vivid and unexpected view of its inner structure.
The image width is 4.2 mm.
HONORABLE MENTION
A Tale of Time
Krutarth Kamath & Brian C. Wyatt
Purdue University, USA
Technical Description:
This transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image shows a single 2D sheet of a novel high-entropy MXene discovered in 2025 that contains all nine transition metals typically included in the definition of MXenes (groups 4 to 6). This discovery further expands the compositional tunability of MXenes. It was also shown that when seven or more elements are incorporated, a truly random atomic arrangement emerges. The flake shape is irregular and depends on the precursor grain shape and etching conditions. However, in this case it resembles the map of Africa (top right image is the zoomed out). Interestingly, the upper right corner of the flake, the “Egypt” region, forms a sharp tip which, when zoomed in, closely resembles the Pyramid of Giza.
Artistic Description:
A nine–transition metal high-entropy (TiVCrZrNbMoHfTaW)4C3 MXene flake unfolds with a perfect pyramid rising at its edge. The pyramids of Giza were built from limestone, one of humanity’s oldest ceramic achievements. Today, high-entropy MXenes—only a few atoms thick—represent a new class of ceramics. From ancient stones to modern 2D carbides, this image reminds us that ceramics continue to shape human history, innovation, and discovery.
The image width is 0.0015 mm.
HONORABLE MENTION
Alginic Waves
Wedad Emad Ali Masoud
University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Technical Description:
This scanning electron microscope (SEM) image shows the water-swollen surface of alginate–chitosan hydrogels coated with iron. Iron incorporation reshapes the microstructure, creating smooth folds and enclosed voids that give rise to the curled 2D morphology. These features reflect heterogeneous ion distribution, affecting porosity, mechanical strength, and ion-exchange capacity. Repeated swelling and deswelling further reorganize the structure. The image highlights how chemical modification can tune hydrogel architecture for environmental uses such as adsorption and stimuli-responsive materials.
Artistic Description:
At high magnification, the curled morphology echoes an embryonic form—a quiet shape held within a glowing cocoon. This resemblance shows how biological-like patterns can emerge in nonliving materials, blurring the line between natural growth and engineered structure. The warm red-orange tones evoke a sense of origin and protection, while the surrounding darkness emphasizes its fragility. The image suggests that familiar patterns appear across scales, reminding us that science can reveal not only structure, but also the hidden poetry of matter.
The image width is 0.1 mm.
HONORABLE MENTION
Smile Beyond 32
Yevheniia Husak
Sumy State University, Silesian University of Technology, Ukraine
Technical Description:
This image shows the corroded surface of pure magnesium after exposure to a sodium chloride solution. The micrograph was captured using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and color-enhanced for clarity. The surface features represent corrosion products formed during degradation, illustrating the interaction between magnesium and chloride ions. Such studies help us understand magnesium behavior in physiological-like environments and guide the development of protective coatings for biodegradable implants, where controlled corrosion is essential for safety and performance.
Artistic Description:
We often try to control everything around us, even the corrosion of a metal surface, yet life still unfolds unpredictably. Here, degradation creates a smile that is not conventionally beautiful but unmistakably real. It reminds us that processes beyond our control can still reveal authenticity. “Smile Beyond 32” reflects the paradox of imperfection: even in breakdown there is truth, and even in harshness a quiet smile can emerge.
The image width is 0.09 mm.
HONORABLE MENTION
Silver Rocking Chair
Márcio de Paula
University of Sao Paulo, Brazil
Technical Description:
Silver nanoparticles and their various geometric shapes formed after the reduction of AgNO3 with sodium borohydride (NaBH4) in the presence of citrate.
Artistic Description:
The images were colorized using the online version of Photopea.
The image width is 0.012 mm.
Human-AI NanoArtography Winners
Collaboration of human with artificial inteligence to create nanoart
HUMAN-AI WINNER
City in a Grain/Particle
Bilal Anjum Ahmed; Anwar Ul-Hamid; Abbas Saeed Hakeem, Tauseef Ahmed
King Fahd University of
Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM),
Saudi Arabia
Technical Description:
Dendritic solidification and segregation in a Ni-based superalloy (Inconel) powder particle. Solidification begins at a central nucleation point, and γ (Ni/Fe-rich) dendrites grow outward opposite the heat flow. Rejected solutes, Cr, Nb, Ti (±Mo), enrich the remaining liquid, which then cools into an interdendritic network: bulky primary Cr carbides in wider channels and finer Nb carbides between the secondary dendrite-arm spacing (SDAS). Why it matters: this chemistry-plus-shape “map” encodes the cooling rate and dictates sintering behavior, strengthening sites, and corrosion resistance, ultimately influencing the reliability of Inconel parts.
Artistic Description:
At first glance it resembles a city map: broad avenues radiating from a central circle, smaller streets branching into tight neighborhoods, and open courtyards punctuating the grid. In reality, it is a tiny droplet of metal as it froze. The pattern began at a single bright point and spread outward like frost, splitting and branching as it grew. The streets weren’t drawn, they were revealed. A calm palette and soft shadows help the hidden city come into focus, with wide “roads” marking the earliest growth and fine “lanes” tracing the later turns. The takeaway: how something forms leaves a story in its shape, a map you can learn to read.
Human and AI Collaboration:
Starting from the unmodified SEM, I used PortraitArt (image-to-image) to create a simple top-down “city” while preserving the exact layout. I inpainted small areas to remove symbols and extend textures, then applied a light pass for a calm, low-saturation palette and matte shading. I selected the version that best matched the SEM and exported it at 4K, no Photoshop. Human role: concept, prompts, masking, and final selection.
The image width is 0.03 mm.
HUMAN-AI HONORABLE MENTION
The Unseen
Priscilla Vieto Bonilla
Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Argentina
Technical Description:
The original scanning electron microscope (SEM) image was acquired with SE2 detector together with the InlensDuo mode configured for BSE, assigning signals A and B to SE2 and InlensDuo respectively, with minimal mixing. This setup enabled simultaneous enhancement of topographic and compositional contrast.
Artistic Description:
My path led me to the scanning electron microscope, but my attention was captured by something small and easily ignored: a dusty corner, a tangle of old cobwebs, and the fragile husk of a tiny moth. I wondered what beauty might hide within such a desiccated remnant. Under the electron beam’s harsh clarity, the moth revealed its secrets. Its compound eye, a perfect mosaic, displayed an astonishing architectural complexity. Within it thrived a second, unexpected world—a bloom of Penicillium fungus, its delicate hyphae and drifting spores flourishing in decay. A vibrant ecosystem emerging from what looked like death. Then came the historical echo: this quiet decomposer, a humble fungus once noticed by chance by Alexander Fleming, would go on to change the course of human history. All of this—life, decay, and discovery—unfolded because I chose to look closer at a forgotten insect on a forgotten wall.
Human and AI Collaboration:
The image was modified with ChatGPT-4o using the prompt: “This is an SEM microscopic image of a compound eye that developed a fungal proliferation. I want you to modify the textures so that the compound eye looks rougher and more solid, and the hyphae appear fluffier. Keep the focal planes and light incidences, and also add more mycelium between the ommatidia.” Final color adjustments were completed manually in Photoshop. The image width is 0.2 mm.
HUMAN-AI HONORABLE MENTION
Machining Art
Hamza Babar
University of Hertfordshire, UK
Technical Description:
The microscopic image shows a CNC-machined hybrid pin-fin structure grooved into an aluminum block. Inspired by the respiratory system of fish, where water flows around and through internal channels, this biomimetic design enhances heat-transfer efficiency while minimizing pressure drop. Its geometry reduces flow resistance and improves thermal performance by guiding fluid through both external and internal pathways.
Artistic Description:
This image highlights the artistry hidden inside precision machining, where each movement of the tool transforms raw aluminum into patterned elegance. In nanoseconds, the rotating cutter shapes intricate pathways, every ridge and groove marking the tool’s deliberate journey. Each cut becomes part of a larger choreography, a symphony of precision and purpose.
Human and AI Collaboration:
The original image is a micrograph of a biomimetic pin-fin heat-sink surface developed for my research. The artistic transformation was generated using ChatGPT-4o using the prompt: “This is a microscopic image of a biomimetic heat-sink surface inspired by fish morphology and respiratory flow principles. Preserve the flow patterns of the fins and convert the image into an artistic representation using soft, dynamic colors, fluid brushstroke effects, and enhanced structural contours while maintaining the underlying geometry.” The image width is 15.1 mm.
HUMAN-AI HONORABLE MENTION
Skeletal Echoes in Composite Realms
Hrishitha S, Abdullah, & Seo Hyeong-gi
Jeonbuk National University, South Korea
Technical Description:
This image depicts iron oxyhydroxide structures grown on carbon fiber substrates. The research visualizes the deposition and evolution of these iron-based phases, valued for their high surface area, catalytic activity, and potential applications in energy storage and environmental remediation. The interaction between the iron oxyhydroxide and the carbon fiber matrix enhances overall composite performance, supporting the development of next-generation functional materials.
Artistic Description:
The image reveals a scene filled with mystery: skeletal fingers of iron oxyhydroxide emerge through the woven carbon fiber, their pale form set against deep darkness. Behind them, two glowing red eyes peer out, blending curiosity with unease. This eerie transformation turns a technical microstructure into a story of discovery, where science brushes against the supernatural. The carbon matrix both conceals and reveals, inviting viewers to imagine what new possibilities emerge when materials, forms, and narratives intertwine. It is a reminder that even in engineered matter, the unexpected can come alive with character and wonder.
Human and AI Collaboration:
AI was used to creatively modify the SEM image by adding thematic elements such as a central slit in the carbon fiber, a skeleton hand pulling the fibers apart, and glowing red eyes for a horror-inspired effect. Using Perplexity Pro, I prompted the AI to apply a contrasting color scheme, insert a skeleton hand passing through the central fiber, reveal illuminated eyes behind it, and enhance the overall clarity and impact. The resulting image was used directly without further refinements. The image width is 3.7 mm.
HUMAN-AI HONORABLE MENTION
Triceratium
Håkan Kvarnström
Nanolab Studios, Sweden
Technical Description:
This image shows a diatom (Triceratium sp.) captured using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The image was focus-stacked to achieve higher depth of field, colorized, and further enhanced using Google Gemini AI. The final high-resolution version was upscaled with Topaz Gigapixel AI.
Artistic Description:
Triceratium drifts like a jeweled relic, its lattice walls catching the light—an ancient fossil that still seems to breathe in an endless sea.
Human and AI Collaboration:
The SEM image was colorized using AI with the instruction to make it appear naturally floating in the ocean, not artificial, but authentically colored as if preserved for millions of years. The image width: Diatom is 0.1 mm.
HUMAN-AI HONORABLE MENTION
Castle in the Sky
Chang Liu & Jeremy B Gan
Purdue University, USA
Technical Description:
Pulsed laser deposition was used to fabricate the structure, with nickel pillars self-assembling alongside cerium oxide due to differences in surface energy between the two phases. The sample was then thinned using focused ion beam cutting to allow electron transmission for imaging. These self-assembled heterostructures demonstrate a bottom-up strategy for high-density device fabrication, with switching behaviors relevant to neuromorphic computing.
Artistic Description:
Inspired by Miyazaki’s floating worlds: from the nanoscale emerges a fortress adrift in the clouds. Nickel pillars hang like ancient roots, suspending a CeO₂ citadel over an endless sky. Softened edges, glints of light, and hints of climbing vines suggest life woven into stone and science.
Human and AI Collaboration:
Using Artlist, the prompt was: “Transform the SEM skyline image into a dreamy floating sky ruin. Keep the scientific microstructure texture clearly visible. Place the structure above a sea of fluffy clouds under a bright blue sky with golden sunlight. Add subtle vines along the edges without obscuring the SEM texture. Create a semi-realistic, magical atmosphere blending scientific detail with a floating-castle fantasy.” The final output was used without further edits.
The image width: The Image is multiscale. The original micrograph is 0.005 mm.
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