Atomic love, in 3 dimensions

It's Valentine's day - and they say that the best presents come in small packages. Scientists at Birmingham University's Nanoscale Physics Research Lab have taken this message to heart - their Valentine card, made of pure palladium, is only 8 nanometres in size; you can even see the atoms. Making the card was also a work of love; clusters of palladium atoms bonded together on the surface of carbon and spontaneously arranged themselves into the world's smallest heart.

The Nanoscale Physics Research Laboratory was established in 1994 - the first centre for nanoscience in the UK. The NPRL was formally opened in the Physics East building in May 1996 by Professor Sir John Cadogan FRS. The second phase of the Lab, the Nanoscale Science Facility, was formally opened in May 2004 by Professor Sir Michael Pepper FRS.

The NPRL now encompasses a flourishing range of both fundamental and applied research programs. An interdisciplinary and international approach is central to the ethos of the Laboratory. Collaborations with other departments (Chemistry, Biosciences, Environmental Research, etc) are enhanced by their proximity on the University campus, while the Laboratory sustains international research collaborations with a series of partners in Europe and worldwide.

The NPRL is also committed to the transfer of new concepts and technology from the research laboratory into industry, including our spin-out companies, creating opportunities for process innovation and sustainable economic development.

Please click here for details of the upcoming Cluster-Surface Interactions (CSI) Workshop to be held in Stratford-upon-Avon (July 5 - 8 2010).