A Holiday Sustainable Nano Riddle: How does a polymer wrap around a nanoparticle? Like a ball of yarn, or like a bow on a gift box?

Holiday nanoparticle

The title of this post presents a riddle similar to the one that I solved along with my advisor, Professor Rigoberto Hernandez, in a recent article published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry C.1 Nanoparticles are often made of a core (for example gold, silver, quantum dots, etc.) coated with molecules called ligands or polymers …

The Sustainable Nano Guide to Holiday Gift Lists

Lego

It's that time of year: the time when everyone starts publishing holiday gift guides! I enjoy reading science-oriented gift lists, not only to get ideas for what to give other people (or what to ask for myself) but because they offer the opportunity to celebrate geeky creativity and ingenuity. If you're buying things as gifts, …

Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with Fluorescence

Our last blog post featured lighting technology powered by algae, and this week is all about a different example of green-colored water: the Chicago River. Every year since 1962, the Chicago River has been dyed green for the downtown St. Patrick’s Day parade. So how does thisĀ amazing color transformation relate to the Center for Sustainable …