NTFL Graduate Students - Finalists in 5th Annual Mahato Image Contest

November 24, 2014

Erich Radauscher and Isvar Cordova both secured finalist positions in the 5th annual Mahato image contest. The Mahato memorial celebrates the life of Abhijit Mahato, a Pratt graduate student who was tragically murdered in 2008. The image contest brings together his love of science and imagery and allows students to compete for the best scientific images.

The 5th Annual Mahato Memorial Event took place on Thursday, November 19, and left the Fitzpatrick Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine, and Applied Science (FCIEMAS) with beautiful works of art for its next public display.  Two of the images (seen below) that are hanging in the FCIEMAS atrium belong to Erich and Isvar.  More details about the Mahato event can be viewed at http://mahato.pratt.duke.edu/.

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Scanning electron micrograph of a hybrid graphene/carbon nanotube nanostructure with artificial colorization:  The ultra high foliate-density graphenated carbon nanotube (g-CNT) exemplifies the ability to create novel nanostructures by controlling the three-dimensional organization of one unique nanomaterial onto another; in this case, graphene foliates grown on vertically aligned CNTs. These structures provide fundamental advantages in supercapacitor and electron field emission applications due to their unique properties. This image illuminates the fascinating ability to engineer even the smallest materials in the realm of nanotechnology.

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Scanning electron micrograph showing a film of manganese oxide (MnO2) "nanoflowers" grown by a process called electrodeposition, where a sweeping voltage is applied onto a carbon nanotube (CNT) forest while it is submerged in a Mn-rich aqueous electrolyte. However, because these CNTs are highly hydrophobic, only the tips of the CNTs make contact with the electrolyte and can thus feed the reaction with the electrons required for MnO2 to grow. In addition, the kinetic competition between charge and mass transfer leads to the needle-like surfaces on the MnO2 nanoflowers. Similar nanostructured composites are being developed to enhance the energy storage capabilities of the next generation of supercapacitors.

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NTFL Images Hanging in CIEMAS Atrium