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Electronic Materials
Chemistry In Pictures
Chemistry in Pictures: Marine camouflage
by Alexandra A. Taylor
August 17, 2020
Credit: Griffin Reed
The intricate pattern seen here comes from imaging a thin film of anthracene crystals at 10× magnification using a microscopy method known as crossed polarization. Griffin Reed, who holds a master’s degree in chemistry from Western Washington University, grew the film using a novel deposition technique as part of his research in David Patrick’s lab. “This image demonstrates the concept of birefringence in individual crystalline grains: each area with uniform color and brightness shows an area where molecules are aligned in a single crystal lattice, called a ‘grain,’ ” Reed explains. Rotating the film under the crossed polarizers alters the grains’ brightness. Reed used anthracene, an organic semiconductor, as a model compound in his studies on molecular crystal growth and patterning.
Submitted by Griffin Reed
Read more at Crystal Growth & Design 2020, DOI: 10.1021/acs.cgd.0c00194.
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Chemical & Engineering News
ISSN 0009-2347
Copyright © 2025 American Chemical Society
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