The scientists used a Focused Ion Beam Scanning Electron microscope to inscribe the message.

Etched onto the hair of a corgi

A microscopic message has been sent to the Queen to celebrate her 90th birthday.

Scientists at the University of Nottingham decided to etch ‘Happy 90th Birthday Your Majesty' onto a hair from a corgi to demonstrate facilities at their new Nanoscale and Microscale Research Centre (NMRC).  

Dr Michael Fay and Dr Christopher Parmenter, stars of the award winning YouTube Channel Periodic Table of Videos, used a Focused Ion Beam Scanning Electron microscope to inscribe the message.

The machine is capable of etching and manipulating materials with nanoscale precision by a focused beam of Gallium ions while imaging the structure by a beam of electrons.

The NMRC opened earlier this week and is teeming with the very latest in microscopy. The centre allows scientists to peer into the fundamental world of the very, very small and addresses some of the major challenges facing humanity – medicine, materials for energy production, storage, electronic devices and novel catalysts.

“This centre will be one of the largest and most advanced clusters of instrumentation for nanoscale and microscale research in the UK,” said Andrei Khlobystov, professor of nanomaterials and director of the NMRC in the faculty of science. “We anticipate it will have significant regional, national and global impact.”

The University of Nottingham already holds the world record for creating the smallest test tube and for writing the smallest version of the periodic table on human hair. 

Image (C) University of Nottingham