Before I travelled to Iceland for the first time in August the only thing I really knew about the country was “Iceland is green and Greenland is ice.” Some lessons from elementary school really stick with you forever. And yes, after arriving in Iceland I quickly realized that it is a moss-covered wonderland. But it …
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, …
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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Laser Science. Light Can Do Way More Than Just Bend
You’ve heard about how lasers work, but what does this mean for science?! We see everyday how light interacts with matter. Ever wonder how a rainbow is formed? Or why your straw looks bent or even broken when it is placed in a cup of water? Both of these phenomena have to do with light …
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