Scientists have created the world's smallest violin - smaller than a hair

Measuring just 35 microns long and 13 microns wide, this microscopic tool is made of platinum. By comparison, the diameter of a human hair ranges from 17 to 180 microns, Phys.org reported

The creation of the miniature violin was a demonstration of the capabilities of a new nanolithography facility recently introduced at the university's lab. The technology allows scientists to create and study structures smaller than one thousandth of a millimetre.

Although the violin itself is not a working musical instrument, its creation has helped the researchers become more familiar with the principles of nanolithography. Project leader Professor Kelly Morrison explained that such experiments are necessary to study the fundamental properties of materials at the nanoscale. By studying how materials interact with light, magnetic fields or electricity, scientists obtain data that will help in the development of new devices - for example, super-efficient computers or energy harvesting systems.

The choice of the violin as the object was not accidental. The scientists used a popular joke about "the smallest violin", which is usually ironically used to "accompany" exaggerated complaints. The phrase was popularised by the TV series MASH in the 1970s, and was later heard on various comedy shows, including SpongeBob SquarePants.

The nanoscreamer was created using a nanolithography facility called NanoFrazor from Heidelberg Instruments. This machine allows precise patterns to be drawn on the surfaces of objects using a heated tip. First, two layers of gel-like material - resist - were applied to a special substrate. Then, using a heated tip, the contour of a violin was "burned" into the upper layer. Then the resist was dissolved, creating a cavity of the desired shape, on which a layer of platinum was applied. The final step - dissolving the remaining material with acetone - revealed the finished platinum violin.

It took about three hours to create the nanosqueak, but the entire process of developing and testing the various methods lasted several months. The result of the work is so small that it can only be seen under a special digital microscope.

The new technology is now being used in two other research projects at Loughborough University. The first project is investigating new ways of magnetic data storage, and the second is investigating how thermal processes can help create more efficient devices for processing and storing information.