Table of periodic elements inscribed on a hair

Martyn Poliakoff, a chemistry professor at the University of Nottingham (UK), celebrated his birthday by going to the university’s Nanotechnology and Nanoscience Centre to have the world’s smalled periodic table of elements inscribed on a hair from his head. From the Oct.  3, 2011 news item on BBC News,

Scientists have created the world’s smallest periodic table on a strand of hair at the University of Nottingham.

An imaging microscope and a beam of accelerated ions were used to put the table on the hair, which belonged to chemistry professor Martyn Poliakoff.

Guinness World Records has now confirmed it as the smallest ever made.

Here’s the Youtube video where Dr. Poliakoff takes us through the process of inscribing the table of periodic elements on a hair,

Happy Birthday Dr. Poliakoff! (You may be familiar with Dr. Martyn Poliakoff through the Periodic Table of Videos website (or their Youtube channel) where he and colleagues at the University of Nottingham have developed a worldwide following for their videos about chemistry and the elements.

ETA Oct. 4, 2011: There are a few more details about Professor Poliakoff in this Oct. 3, 2011 news item on Nanowerk.

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