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a blog by the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology

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Tag: buckyballs

February 18, 2014 blog post

The Atomic Difference Between Diamonds and Graphite

Everything is made of atoms. Usually these atoms are strongly connected to one another, in an amazing variety of configurations.

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June 17, 2013 blog post

Nanotechnology Through History: Carbon-based Nanoparticles from Prehistory to Today

Since our early ancestors first learned to make fires, humans have been producing carbon-based nanoparticles. The smoke and soot from

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Gordon Research Conference pictures Volume II: Some CSNers went for a hike on a particularly foggy day in Newry, Maine. All of the above photos are being considered as options for album art for the CSN mixtape

Some GRC Fun: Newry Maine, the site of this year’s Environmental Nanotechnology Gordon Research Conference had some spectacular views to enjoy between research talks. No reported Yeti sightings, but not for a lack of searching . . .

At the beginning of this month, many of our CSN researchers met with our friends and colleagues in Newry, Maine for the Environmental Nanotechnology Gordon Research Conference and Seminar. Conferences are always exciting opportunities to present our work to the research community, to learn about other science that’s happening, to meet new people, and to catch up with old friends and peers. @gordon_research Conferences (GRC) also offer lots of opportunities to interact with fellow scientists outside of the research and presentation settings. Over the next few days we’ll post some of the fun times CSN members had exploring Newry and talking both science and life. In the photo above, the CSN researchers who attended the conference made sure to get a picture together. What a showing! #gordonresearchconference

Here’s a cool example of how materials behave differently at the nanoscale than at larger sizes! The first video shows iron oxide particles, on the micro scale, in liquid (still quite small, but they maintain the magnetic properties of ‘bulk’ or larger particles). These micro iron oxide particles tend to clump together based on their magnetism and respond to a magnet by aligning their own magnetic domains to its magnetic field. This is what makes them appear to point toward the magnet. The second movie shows iron oxide nanoparticles in liquid, which behave quite differently (you may have heard them called ferrofluids). As these magnetic particles get smaller, they have a much more temporary magnetism, allowing them to flow around like a liquid until the magnet aligns them into the cool peak shapes you see in the video. When the magnet is gone, they fall back into looking like a liquid! These videos show how the same material can behave in very different ways depending on its size, which is one of the most important (and coolest) aspects of working with nanomaterials. These specific kinds of magnetic behavioral differences are fun to watch, and can also be useful for things like targeted cancer treatments (which you can read more about in our blog http://sustainable-nano.com/2016/08/30/magnetic-nanoparticles-cancer-treatment/)

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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology, grant number CHE-1503408. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed on this web site are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the participating institutions.

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