a blog by the NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology
Back in January, I wrote a post about the potential hazards of traditional cleaning chemicals. Based on questions and comments from friends and family, I am going to continue on that path, this time focusing on the antibacterial chemical triclosan. Triclosan gained some media attention earlier this year when a law was passed in Minnesota …
Continue reading "Is triclosan safe? What you should know about this antibacterial chemical"
As a child, I spent many summer days at the beach in southern California. I remember playing in the surf, collecting shells, watching sea lions, and seeing the white noses of the lifeguards. In those days, lifeguards smeared thick, white zinc oxide paste on their noses to protect themselves from getting sunburned When my kids …
Continue reading "Not Your Daddy’s Sunblock – Why Thick, White Sunblock is a Thing of the Past"
Every year, millions of tons of plastic are discarded into landfills, where they will take hundreds of years to break down. New biodegradable plastics offer a potential solution to this problem. Let’s back up and talk about “traditional” plastics first. In addition to being landfilled, some plastic is disposed of improperly, leading to plastic pollution …
Continue reading "The Chemical Story Behind Non-Petroleum-Based Plastics"
Nanoparticles and the Environment Series, Part I (click here for part II) More than a year ago on this site, I talked to you about how nanoparticles were already all around us, and have been for most of human history. That day, I was hoping to show you that while nanotechnology may sound cool and …
Continue reading "Nano Contaminants: How Nanoparticles Get Into the Environment"
I was surprised to learn recently that plastic bags can be turned into a new material called carbon nanotubes. Prior to this, all I had heard about plastic bags was about the environmental threat that they potentially pose, either by accumulating in wildlife or clogging landfills with slow-to-break-down waste. Many recycling techniques have been developed …
Continue reading "Turning Plastic Bags into Carbon Nanotubes"
This is part one of a two (maybe three…definitely four at the most) part series What motivated me to explore the chemical world of cleaning? Is it possible to have nice smelling armpits without lathering up some soap in the shower? Can we permanently get rid of those traditional cleaning chemicals that almost everyone has …
Only over the past 20 years have we begun to harness the unique properties of nano-scale materials, while nature has been using nano- “technology” since the beginning of time to prevent infections, repel water, create colors, and climb vertical surfaces. Inspired by nature’s advances, scientists and engineers are generating biomimetic applications for nanotechnology in today’s …
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 …
Continue reading "How do Lithium Ion Batteries Work? A Nanotechnology Explainer."
The next time that you go to your sink and pour a glass of water, take a second to think about what’s in it. It likely has a little bit of chlorine, some fluoride for your teeth, and small amounts of minerals—but most importantly it has no appreciable amount of nasty disease-causing pathogens or toxic …
Continue reading "New Filter Gives Drinking Water a Silver Lining"
Part 1 in the "How is That Sustainable?" Series “Paper or plastic?” This was the question you always used to get once you’d made it through the checkout line to the grocery store register (at least when I was growing up). Ever since about 2005, however, it seemed like it was becoming increasingly rare to …
Continue reading "Paper or Plastic? Sustainability is a Multi-Dimensional Problem"
Sustainable Nano 