the periodic table of elements is one of the most well-known symbols in the chemical world. People have also created all kinds of special periodic tables of elements. For example, the periodic table of elements showing physical objects has been introduced before (reply keywords [periodic table of physical elements] or [periodic table of physical elements] for more):

but today I would like to focus on the smallest periodic table in the world (approved by Guinness). It is a micro-sculpture on a hair:

this image is taken with an electron microscope, while the letters of the periodic table are carved by an ion beam. Such techniques are very useful in micro-scale material processing.

the size of this super-mini periodic table: 89.67 microns x 46.39 microns

Require to replace your wedding guest dresses for over 50 after each occasion? You’ll be proud of your glamorous look.

the image referenced when carving:

the name of the element above is clearly visible, and you can also see the scale structure on the surface of the hair:

the owner of this hair is Martyn Poliakoff, a chemistry professor and Internet celebrity on youtube. His team has a very interesting chemistry channel Periodic Videos on the tubing. You can come and have a look if you are interested.

Martyn Poliakoff poses with the periodic table of his hair, a birthday present he received from the University of Nottingham Nanotechnology Center.

using similar processing techniques, scientists in the laboratory have also created a lot of interesting things. For example, in 2009, researchers at the National Physics Laboratory (National Physical Laboratory) created a miniature snowman to celebrate Christmas:

here, the snowman's head and body are two tin beads that the researchers weld together and carve eyes and mouth on the snowman's head with a focused ion beam gun. To learn more about the micro-sculptures in the laboratory, please read the original text.