The Creation of Color

Two hands in black nitrile gloves are holding up small glass vials against a plain white background. The vial on the left contains a bright reddish-orange liquid, while the vial on the right contains a light blue liquid. Both vials are tilted toward each other in the center of the frame, showing the colored solutions inside.

Label: The Creation of Color
Artist: Carl Conti
Description: A molecular dye (left, red) and plasmonic nanorods (right, blue) come together to illustrate the different ways colors arise. The dye relies on the excitation of electrons from pi to pi* orbitals, while the nanorods exhibit their unique color due to the coupling of incoming light with free electrons in the nanomaterial.
Type: DSLR
Artist Affiliation: Graduate Student
Department: Chemistry and Biochemistry
Area of Research: Nanomaterials
Date: 2021