Author: Julianne Troiano

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Light Can Do Way More Than Bend: Part 2

For the first post that I wrote for the blog 2 years ago, I discussed some of the cool things that focused, high intensity light from a laser can do. For example, under the right circumstances laser light can change color (wavelength) when passing through certain materials. We use this cool phenomenon, called frequency doubling, …

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Negatively-Charged Nanoparticles Stick to a Negatively-Charged Surface

This post is part of our ongoing series of public-friendly summaries describing research articles that have been published by members of the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology. Julianne Troiano, a doctoral student at Northwestern University, was the first author on this paper. She says, “In this post I discuss one experimental hurdle we had to overcome that …

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Solar Roads: the Science, Potential, and Lingering Questions

There are many ways to reduce our carbon footprint and move towards protecting the environment, but what if we could do this while also preventing automobile accidents, clearing snow without salt and plows, providing electricity, TV, and internet to businesses and homes, and providing clean water all with one new technology? Sounds like something too …

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How do Lithium Ion Batteries Work? A Nanotechnology Explainer.

During a recent visit to Home Depot I came face to face with a lithium-ion battery, nanotechnology, and my interest in making a wooden-framed mirror. I had my eyes on some shiny, new Dewalt power tools. I decided that it would be much easier to build a wooden frame with a high quality drill and …

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