Two Contributions by Ondřej Ambrož Named Finalists in the Prestigious Microscopy Today Micrograph Awards 2026
Ondřej Ambrož, a scientist from the Microscopy for Materials Science research group, Department of Electron Microscopy at ISI CAS, has succeeded with not one but two contributions in the international Microscopy Today Micrograph Awards 2026 competition.
Both entries have made it to the finals and will also appear on the cover of the July issue of Microscopy Today magazine.
„I'm delighted that we managed to combine rigorous research with the aesthetics of the image — and that this very combination held its own against the competition in such a prestigious contest as the Microscopy Today Micrograph Awards 2026,“ said Ondřej.
A Video Capturing the Phase Transformation of Bronze in Real Time
The first award-winning entry is a video in the Video category, capturing the phase transformation of CuSn22 bronze during cooling at a temperature of approximately 520 °C, recorded directly inside a scanning electron microscope. The transformation occurs only in the tin-richer regions between the dendrites, while the copper-richer dendrites remain practically unchanged. The video thus shows in real time how local chemical composition influences the nucleation and growth of a new phase during the phase transformation of a metallic material.
„The video was created as part of the NCK2 – Center of Advanced Electron and Photon Optics project. Metallographic sample preparation was carried out at the Institute of Scientific Instruments of the CAS, while the experiment itself took place at Crytur in Turnov. During controlled heating and subsequent cooling, individual frames were captured using the Karmen backscattered electron detector developed by Crytur, from which the final colorized video was assembled,“ Ondřej explains, describing how the first of these two great achievements came about.
Duplex Steel as an Aesthetic Pattern
The second success is a micrograph that also made it to the finals, in the Open category. The image was captured using a light microscope.
"The image captures the two-phase microstructure of duplex stainless steel using interference colors generated by controlled surface oxidation in a laboratory furnace. The differing colors of the individual microstructural regions allow them to be clearly distinguished without classical chemical etching and without the need for subsequent imaging in a scanning electron microscope. The method is not only more environmentally friendly but also significantly speeds up metallographic analysis," Ondřej explains, detailing how the image came about.
The image also demonstrates that even technical materials can create surprisingly beautiful patterns.
Vote too! The finals also include a public vote — the People's Choice Award. Anyone can take part via the voting form.
The competition results will be announced during the Microscopy & Microanalysis 2026 conference in Milwaukee (USA) and subsequently published in the September issue of Microscopy Today magazine.
We're keeping our fingers crossed that both the image and the video make it "to the top"!
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