Mickey puts in an appearance Revista Pesquisa FAPESP Print edition 168 - Febuary 2010 "Coincidence, accident, a fortuitous event or otherwise, the truth is that nano-Mickey figures are there and they are smiling." This is how professor Oswaldo Alves, from the Institute of Chemistry (IQ) of the State University of Campinas (Unicamp), refers to the unlikely figure that appeared in an experiment and was identified by an electronic transmission microscope. As the coordinator of the Solid State Chemistry Laboratory (LQES) and the deputy coordinator of the National Institute of Science, Technology and Innovation in Complex Functional Materials, Alves saw the pictures of the little mice after preparing nanofilaments of silver vanadate (AgVO3) decorated with silver nanoparticles, a nanostructure with antibacterial action when incorporated into a range of materials, such as plastics, fabrics and paints. A close-up on a part of the nanofilament revealed pictures of Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney's famous character. "One of them was facing forward which made it easier for us to see it better, but there are others involving silver nanoparticles," says Alves. The nano-Mickey is alongside other nanofigures that form spontaneously, such as nanotubes, or that are built by the researchers, such as nano-pincers, nano-radios, nano-cars and nano-syringes. "The difference is that Mickey's notoriety might help popularize nanotechnology, especially among children," says Alves. The experiment was ...