Bristol, CT – May 1, 2013 – Studio F: The Stanley Cup trophy on the SportsCenter set.(Photo by Joe Faraoni/ESPN Images)
The University of Alberta developed the smallest-ever Edmonton Oilers logo through the use of nanotechnology, making it the tiniest NHL logo as well, according to the school.
The image, which measures just 2.4 µm in diameter, can only be seen under the university’s helium ion microscope.
University researchers partnered with Applied Quantum Materials — a spinoff company led by chemistry professor Jon Veinot and nanoscale pattern correction methods from Applied Nanotools — to develop the logo, which could replicate itself 900 million times on top of a hockey puck.
In 2006, the same organization called the Nanofabrication and Characterization Facility (nanoFAB) developed a similar team logo during the Oilers’ playoff run all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals before losing to the Carolina Hurricanes. However, the 2017 image measures 40 times smaller than the older version.
“That really just goes to show the kind of development that has occurred over the last decade,” Eric Flaim, Director of nanoFAB said in a statement about the smaller-sized logo.
Added Veinot in a statement: “The University of Alberta is a clear leader in Canada, if not the world, in nanomaterials synthesis and materials chemistry.”
The nanotechnology utilized for the Oilers’ logo is also used to create dense-patterned nanostructures for other applications like sensors and biomedical devices, which improve efficiency and sensitivity.
