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October 20, 2006

"On the Rim"

"On the Rim."

This is a reflection optical microscopic image of a polymer film under an electric field with an air gap between the film and an electrode. The image was created by Ting Xu, a graduate research assistant. The image shows the contour of the surface of the film where there was instability.

This image was obtained during research performed at the University of Massachusetts Materials Research Science and Engineering Center on Polymers, a National Science Foundation (NSF)-supported center.

This graphic was an entry in the 2005 Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge competition, sponsored by NSF and the journal Science. The competition is held each year to recognize outstanding achievements by scientists, engineers, visualization specialists and artists who are innovators in using visual media to promote the understanding of research results and scientific phenomena. To learn more about the competition and view all the winning entries, see the Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge Special Report. (Date of Image: February 2004)

Credit: Ting Xu, Graduate Research Assistant

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