Tuesday, 02 May 2023
A microscopic message of congratulations milled onto the side of a 50p coin has been sent to King Charles III ahead of the Coronation on Saturday 6 May.
A team of academics from the University of Nottingham have etched the names of all the Windsor monarchs, from George V to the new King Charles III, along with the dates of their coronations, onto an uncirculated Charles III 50p coin.
The team from the Nanoscale and Microscale Research Centre (nmRC) made the etching using a Focussed Ion Beam Scanning Electron Microscope. The Focussed Ion Beam technique is usually used by the nmRC to cut into surfaces and observe their internal structure, or to analyse materials on a microscopic level.
“The width of the inscription is around 30 to 35 microns, which is about half the width of a human hair, and we chose the space next to the back of the neck of King Charles because it was a flat area for us to put the inscription. The actual milling for this commemorative piece we’ve produced took a little over half an hour.”
A floating coin holder, designed by Mark Strickland, has also been manufactured by the team at the Precision Manufacturing Centre (PMC) to display the coin, with the University of Nottingham logo engraved on. The coin will be sent to the King and a duplicate displayed at the nmRC from 6 May.
Dr Luke Norman, a Knowledge Exchange Research Fellow in the School of Chemistry, who led on the project, said: “We wanted to celebrate this historic occasion of the Coronation of King Charles III by having two centres at the University of Nottingham – the Nanoscale and Microscale Research Centre (nmRC) and Precision Manufacturing Centre (PMC) - collaborate together on this project etching the coin and manufacturing the coin holder. Two world leading centres collaborating together to mark such a great occasion.
"It was very much a team effort. A few of us came up with the design, we really wanted to celebrate old versus new. The old where we’re celebrating the Windsor lineage all the way back to 1911 where it started and etching that uses focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy, which is a relatively new and cutting-edge technique so it’s all about this idea of old meeting new.”
The team at the nmRC have previously etched a message to the late Queen Elizabeth II onto a corgi hair to celebrate her 90th birthday. The hair was donated from two Corgis living in Nottinghamshire that were from the same bloodline as the Queen’s beloved Corgis.
Story credits
More information is available from Luke Norman, in the Faculty of Science at the University of Nottingham at Luke.Norman2@nottingham.ac.uk
Faith Pring - Media Relations Manager
Email: faith.pring@nottingham.ac.uk
Phone: 0115 748 4411
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About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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