A few days from now is Valentine’s Day, a day to take time to appreciate what matters the most in life… chocolate! I’m sure you’ve seen the tiny, cheesy, heart-shaped boxes of off-brand chocolates in grocery and convenience stores around this time of year. Maybe you’ve even been gifted this inexpensive treat before. How do … Continue reading
Two years ago, I wrote a blog post called Two Ways to Make Nanoparticles, describing the difference between top-down and bottom-up methods for making nanoparticles. In the post I commented, “we can estimate, knowing how gold atoms pack into crystals, that there are about 2000 gold atoms in one 4 nm diameter gold nanoparticle.” Recently, a Sustainable Nano reader wrote in to ask about … Continue reading
In the CSN, we like to study and understand small things. Everyone knows the adage “no two snowflakes are alike,” but what actually goes into creating this variety of shapes at a molecular level? It seems fitting, as we’re experiencing the end of snowy weather here in the Midwestern U.S., to dig into the science … Continue reading
Everything is made of atoms. Usually these atoms are strongly connected to one another, in an amazing variety of configurations. But atoms are so tiny, how can we possibly understand the structure of matter at the atomic level? You probably have seen pictures of molecules or materials, zoomed in to the atomic level, which show … Continue reading
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
