Meet the three winners of the 2023 Canadian Society for Chemistry’s (CSC) ChemiSTEAM contest, which is an annual contest hosted and judged at the Canadian Conference and Exhibition (CSC 2024). We reached out to all three winners to learn more about their approach to science and art, and these images in particular.
The Canadian Journal of Chemistry is featuring all three 2023 CSC ChemiSTEAM winners on our covers this year – watch for them in future issues!
Francisco imaged these nanocrystals at the Centre for Nanostructure Imaging at the University of Toronto on January 18th, 2021. He’s posting cool chemistry images, Green Chemistry work, and his ongoing research on Twitter/X at @FranciscoYarur.
Az Mapu: This image features kesterite nanocrystals (Cu2ZnSnS4) generated from digenite (Cu1.8S) through cation exchange as a model system to understand the formation of complex quaternary materials. The assembly of nanocrystals is observed through transmission electron microscopy. (Image credit: Francisco Yarur Villanueva)
Stephanie imaged these (attempted!) nanocrystals during her time in the Masson Lab at the University of Montreal. She’s posting cool chemistry images and snippets of life as a postdoc at INRS (Institut national de la recherche scientifique) on Twitter/X at @ChemGallant.
A Matter of Perception: An artistic abstraction of a transmission electron microscope (TEM) image showing the result of a nanoparticle synthesis gone wrong!
Fadi synthesized this zeolite crystal when conducting research in the Nanoporous Materials Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University, and the SEM micrograph was taken at the University of Toronto Department of Earth Sciences in February 2023. A cross-university collab that had an amazing output!
ANA polycrystal: SEM image at the surface of an ANA (a type of zeolite) polycrystal undergoing growth via Ostwald Ripening. (Image credit: Fadi Layyous Gedeon)
Here’s what these awesome scientists had to say about their work:
Francisco Yarur Villanueva: Part of my research focuses on understanding the formation mechanism of quaternary nanocrystals. When I created this art piece, I was investigating the transformation of copper sulfide intermediates (e.g., CuS, Cu1.8S, and Cu1.94S) into kesterite nanocrystals (Cu2ZnSnS4) through a cation exchange process. The assembly of kesterite nanocrystals was observed through transmission electron microscopy on the featured image. These nanocrystals were generated from digenite (Cu1.8S) as a starting point (Figure 1).
Understanding such transformations is important because it allows us to control the size and phase purity of complex nanocrystals (e.g., quaternaries) and therefore, the properties of nanocrystals. Ultimately, having synthetic handles to control the size and phase purity of nanocrystals will streamline their production and processing for different applications.
Stephanie Gallant: I was working on developing new nanomaterials to attach to needle-like sensors for surface-enhanced Raman experiments, to eventually be used for monitoring activity near tissues. This involved synthesis of various plasmonic crystals for their useful and unique interactions with light. This image was obtained from a starting phase of a new method to try making octahedral gold nanoparticles, where I was characterizing the first step to track progress.
Fadi Layyous Gedeon: I was looking for different morphologies in the zeolite crystals which I could use to explain how zeolite synthesis through interzeolite conversion occurs. My main research topic was understanding how the use of different alkali cations affect the zeolite phase selection during the transformation of one zeolite phase into another. This was a Graduate project when I was obtaining my masters degree and I would like to mention my Thesis supervisor Dr. Chil-Hung Cheng! He was an amazing source of information and support!
FYV: I acquired this image using a transmission electron microscope (TEM) operating at 100 kV. I thank Ilya Gourevich who trained me on how to operate this microscope.
The as-synthesized kesterite nanocrystals are covered by oleylamine molecules (long fatty amines). These long-chain surface molecules allow nanocrystals to be dispersed in non-polar solvents such as hexanes or toluene, making them easily processable into inks. However, these long molecules can be problematic in electron microscopy because they burn under the electron beam and create a blurry image. Therefore, these molecules need to be minimized for TEM measurements.
To remove a portion of these molecules from the nanocrystal surface, I had to perform multiple purification cycles using an anti-solvent (a bad solvent). This precipitates nanocrystals and removes some ligands from their surface. Then, samples can be dispersed back into solution with a good solvent like hexanes. The challenge here is to find a sweet spot where you remove enough ligands to prevent burning under the electron beam, but not so many that your samples remain aggregated and cannot be brought back into solution for subsequent drop casting. Finally, the samples are drop cast onto a carbon support on a copper grid and dried under air for imaging.
The purified nanocrystals in this sample randomly assembled on the grid and generated the South American-looking pattern seen in the TEM image, which coincidentally is where I am from (Chile).
SG: The image was obtained through Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), using a copper mesh grid to support the crystals with a working voltage of 80 kV.
FLG: The image was taken using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). For the preparation I spread a thin layer of zeolite powder onto a stainless-steel stub with carbon tape and then the sample was sputter coated with a thin gold layer.
FYV: When the contrast between the nanocrystals and the background is good, I can easily binarize the image to generate two separate layers using Adobe Illustrator. If the contrast is not so good, I create these layers ‘by hand’ in Illustrator. Then, I use linear and radial false colouring to accentuate and highlight different image features.
The green and blue colours were chosen as a reminder that chemistry is strictly related to nature and that we (chemists) can have major impacts on it. Thus, I was also wanting to create awareness about green chemistry practices with this work.
More importantly, the title “Az Mapu” comes from the Mapuches, an Indigenous population in the south of Chile. It refers to the way things ought to be (the ‘good’) and the way in which we relate with nature and the cosmos. The Az Mapu regulates the existence and harmony of all things on Earth and it is our duty to keep this equilibrium unaltered. This title was chosen to symbolically highlight the ways in which most of our science ought to be (green and sustainable) and our harmonious/symbiotic relationship with our environment.
SG: Adobe Photoshop.
FLG: None – this image is a Secondary Electron Image (SEI), which creates a black and white image from a detector measuring electrons rather than light, I did not use any subsequent colouring methods.
FYV: Lots of experiments can go wrong when you are investigating the formation of complex nanomaterials, especially those that pass through several intermediates to achieve the final product. The beautiful thing about these “failures” is that they teach you something and help you refine your synthetic procedures. For instance, I was using the djurleite (Cu1.94S) intermediate to attain another crystalline structure in the Cu2ZnSnS4 kesterite system (the wurtzite polymorph). However, when I checked the purity of the final kesterite product I observed that it contained phase impurities. Taking a closer look under the electron microscope I realized that the morphology of the djurleite intermediate that I was synthesizing was anisotropic (they looked like nano-rods, Figure 2). This prevented an isotropic (symmetrical) cation exchange and generated undesired phase impurities in kesterite nanocrystals in the form of stacking faults. With this knowledge I then synthesized isotropic djurleite intermediates that were able to effectively attain the wurtzite polymorph with no phase impurities.
SG: This experiment actually ended up being a failure, after which I went back to the drawing board to try another method – which was fine, as this procedure was far longer and more complicated! On the imaging side, my biggest annoyance was accidentally installing the grid into the system upside-down, which wastes a lot of time.
FLG: SEM images can be hard to take when imaging non-conductive materials, that is why it was sputter coated in gold. My first tries at SEM were a lot of trial and error to understand how to better optimize the imaging parameters to obtain a decent resolution and observe the morphology from where I can gather some conclusions.
FYV: Science and art tap into a common thought process pathway, the one that drives creativity. Thus, both disciplines operate on a similar playground and can intersect at times. For instance, my artistic mindset has inspired much of my science because I often approach scientific research and questioning with a creative mindset. This approach is what led to the creation of Devoid of Darkness and Az Mapu. On the other hand, science also inspires my art, and it often plays a role in the things I choose to pencil draw in my spare time. Concepts such as energy and uncertainty are constantly in my mind when I draw. In fact, a couple of years ago I sketched an idea for a tattoo design that portrayed the famous double slit experiment through the eyes of a skull. I then gave the sketch to Nick Avge, an exceptional tattoo artist based in Montreal, who transformed it into a unique piece of art that now lives on my skin and reminds me of the intersect between art and science (Figure 3).
SG: In the science I’ve worked on, the tiny details matter – literally! I believe it helps me keep my eye sharp, and additionally to plan many steps ahead for a final “vision”. This goes for art to science, and vice versa.
FLG: In my case science inspired my art. I was not looking for anything that was artistic in any way, but nature provides. In my image, the crystal growth by multiple smaller crystals merging together (Ostwald ripening) is observed, this is a natural process to decrease the total crystal energy. I thought the image looked simply amazing, thus I decided to submit it so other people could enjoy it as well.
FYV: Scientifically, I am now working with nanocrystals made from the kesterite silver analog (Ag2ZnSnS4). These under-explored nanocrystals emit light in the red region of the spectrum, and I recently demonstrated that they can be used to convert red photons into blue light through an upconversion process. The upconversion process is a unique and beautiful phenomenon that has inspired some of the art I am working on right now.
SG: Artistically, I almost exclusively work with watercolours, though I am currently experimenting with acrylics for a few projects. I’m hoping the acrylics will allow me to work a little more quickly, and in a much more forgiving way!
FYV: I would like to acknowledge and thank my art teacher from high school, Cristián Núñez (Chino Mestizo) for sparking my interest in the arts. He taught me how art could influence different realms of society but also, how these realms can shape what we portray and how we choose to portray it. This has been instrumental in keeping me engaged with the arts considering that my work focuses on fundamental science. He also helped me in viewing and using art as a powerful means of communication. Therefore, every art piece that I create has a message, critique, or reflection that I aim to communicate with people in a broader context that goes beyond science.
Finally, I would also like to thank my friend Andrés Gonzalez (Koop) for his mentoring and advice in graphic design and the people that give scientists the opportunity and the platforms to showcase our artwork. That is, Louise Dawe, Brian Wagner, and Vance Williams, through ChemiSTEAM at the Chemical Institute of Canada, and Jocelyn Sinclair at the Canadian Journal of Chemistry.
SG: You can find my traditional artwork on my website (https://www.stephaniegallantart.ca/) or Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/smvg.art)
FYV: I heard about the ChemiSTEAM contest from my MSc supervisor, Professor Marek Majewski, back in 2020. I participated in the contest and won second place that same year with the piece titled Devoid of Darkness (Figure 4). I have been following the contest ever since and decided to participate again in 2023 with Az Mapu, which is now featured here in the Canadian Journal of Chemistry.
SG: I had participated in previous years, and as I was attending CSC2023, I was delighted to do so again!
FLG: I received the information when registering as a poster presenter for the CSC2023 conference.
Edited by Jocelyn Sinclair, Journal Development Specialist at Canadian Science Publishing. Follow @CanJChem for more chemistry community collaborations and new research!
