Philip Bradford’s Research Group Featured on the Cover of “Small”

The cover of the May 11, 2016 issue of the journal “Small” features the work of several Wilson College of Textiles individuals. The featured research was the PhD work of Kelly Stano and was led by Dr. Philip Bradford and Dr. Jesse Jur, both assistant professor’s in the College’s department of Textile Engineering, Chemistry and Science. The cover art was made possible using the photography of Amanda Padbury, a staff member in the Wilson College of Textiles, and the illustration of Liz Bradford, a graduate of the College.

“Small” is considered among the top multidisciplinary journals covering a broad spectrum of topics at the nano- and micro-scale at the interface of materials science, chemistry, physics, engineering, medicine and biology.

The cover is attached and can be seen online here.

The cover image depicts the unique structure of the record-breaking ultra-low density aluminum oxide structures which are prepared using a novel templating technique. The alumina structures are unique in that they are comprised of highly aligned, interconnected and extremely thin walled (2 nm) nanotubes. Large-scale network structures with complex form-factors can easily be made. Application of the low density networks as humidity sensing materials as well as thermal insulation is demonstrated in the paper.

The focal point of this cover is a photographic image of the nanotube network structure that was taken as the material sat on a light table. The light table was covered by light absorbing felt except for the area directly under the ultra-low density material to create the glowing effect. High resolution scanning electron micrographs of the interconnected nanotube structure and an artist’s depiction of a single alumina nanotube protruding from the page give the reader a better sense of the nanostructure of the glowing cube.