Doughnuts under the microscope, CT scanner, and MRI-- AGH UST

A CT scan of a doughnut sliced in half with a visible layer of icing (in yellow), filling (in red), and dough (in sand-grey).

A photo taken in the Laboratory of Micro- and Nanotomography, at the Faculty of Physics and Applied Computer Science; Photo: AGH UST

Doughnuts under the microscope, CT scanner, and MRI

15-02-2023

popularisation of science

In total, there are more than 800 laboratories at the AGH UST. At 16 faculties and extra-faculty units, our scientists work daily with special equipment, often unique in Poland or Europe. For Fat Thursday, AGH UST employees and students, using the rich laboratory base of the university, took a closer look at the doughnuts. To analyse them, they used, among other things, microscopes, CT scanners, grinders, and laser scanning technology.

The effects of unorthodox investigations into the inner structure of doughnuts

The AGH UST laboratories are used mainly to carry out environmental surveys, physical and chemical analyses, and measurements of microstructure parameters. Using the equipment at the university, our students examine materials on the nano scale and investigate the behaviour of the materials under the influence of various levels of load.

Access to the laboratories allows our scientists to conduct research commissioned by industry in general, including the energy, automotive, and aviation branches. The following centres conduct research that is unique in Poland:

International Centre of Electron Microscopy for Materials Science by the Faculty of Metals Engineering and Industrial Computer Science. It possesses one of the most powerful electron microscopes in the world – the Titan Cubed. The device is used to perform microanalyses on the atomic scale.
Anechoic chamber located at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics in the Laboratory of Technical Acoustics, where the level of background acoustic pressure measured during the day is 1.5 decibels (dBA), whereas at night it drops even below 0 dBA.
Research for the benefit of science, especially in the field of computer networks, large computing powers, and other ICT services, is conducted at the Academic Computer Centre CYFRONET which is home to Athena – currently the fastest supercomputer in Poland.
The Academic Centre for Materials and Nanotechnology carries out interdisciplinary research in the field of modern engineering, physics, material chemistry, nanodiagnostics, and nanotechnology. The Centre comprises six research lines and four research teams that conduct fundamental and application research on metallic, semiconductor, magnetic, and polymer materials, including their composites and nanostructures. In particular, the unit focuses on using electron microscopy in its investigations.
Centre of Energy – is a research unit focused on developing power technologies, including conventional energy, fuels and sorbents, renewable energy sources: wind, water, hydrogen, photovoltaics, biomass, and biogas, as well as waste fuel and power grids.

The interior of a doughnut with a +400 magnification. Observation made with the FEI Quanta 200 FEG scanning electron microscope. Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry and Environmental Surveys, Faculty of Geology, Geophysics, and Environmental Protection. Photo: AGH UST

The interior of a doughnut with +400 magnification. This level of magnification renders the bubbly structure of the doughnut grey and white.

The laboratory base at the AGH UST in Krakow also develops due to close cooperation with industry and companies that equip our labs with specialised apparatus. The following laboratories were the result of the cooperation with industry:

Laboratory of Critical Elements at the Faculty of Geology, Geophysics, and Environmental Protection within the cooperation with KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. The centre focuses on determining the content of critical elements, that is, elements whose deficit could negatively impact the economy if the supply chain is broken.
Laboratory of Electric Energy Quality that was established as a joint initiative of the university and TAURON Dystrybucja. The lab is equipped with measurement devices necessary to run tests and certify the analysers of electric energy quality.

Unorthodox doughnut explorations were performed in the following units: Laboratory of Micro- and Nanotomography (Faculty of Physics and Applied Computer Science), Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry and Environmental Surveys (Faculty of Geology, Geophysics, and Environmental Protection), Laboratory of Structural Research and Mechanical Properties (Faculty of Non-Ferrous Metals), Laboratory of X-ray Computed Tomography (Faculty of Civil Engineering and Resource Management), the Biomarkers Analysis LAB (Faculty of Computer Science, Electronics, and Telecommunications).