a blog by the NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology
Remember all those great Black Friday deals on QLED televisions? You may not realize it, but they were all about nanotechnology! The Q in QLED stands for quantum dots, which are not only being used to enhance the displays of TVs, but also are used in solar cells, medical imaging, and sensing.1-3 However, the disposal …
Continue reading "Quantum Dots and Lipid Rafts: Analytical Chemistry Solves a Nanoscale Mystery"
This post was co-authored by Arielle Mensch & Yi Cui We recently received a very intriguing question from a 12-year old reader, Olivia, who asked, “How do scientists figure out the texture of cells?” This is a great question, and like most great questions, the answer is a bit complicated! Scientists have a variety of …
Continue reading "How do scientists determine the texture of cells?"
Guest Post by Zachary Vasile It can be difficult to record exactly how a writer thinks. This is not to mystify the brain of a writer, but to say that we often reason in incredibly convoluted and abstract ways, leaping from one thing to another, working in undisciplined bursts when the spirit takes us. And …
Continue reading "A Science Journalist Ventures Into the Lab"
One of the primary goals of the Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology is to understand what happens when nanomaterials are exposed to biological systems like organisms or even cells. How can we do this? You may think back to an introductory biology class and recall a few buzz words about cells, like endoplasmic reticulum, vesicles, and …
Continue reading "How Do Scientists Understand the Cell Membrane?"
Take a look at your wrist. Have you ever wonder what makes your watch tick with such precision? What if I told you the same technology that causes your watch to work is also key to one of the most sensitive balances on the planet? Sounds crazy right?! Well, I promise it’s not crazy! The …
Continue reading "One of the Most Sensitive Balances on the Planet – Quartz Crystal Microbalance"
Sustainable Nano 