a blog by the NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology
We talk a lot about nanoparticles, which are nano-sized and nearly spherical. But, the shapes accessible in the nano-world are plentiful! For example, I recently made these! (click for larger images... DO IT!) I like to call them “nano-Koosh-balls,” because of how closely they resemble the children’s toy of the same name. These nano-Koosh-balls are …
Continue reading "Nano-Koosh-balls: What They’re Good For and How I Made Them."
Here is a picture of the REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduate) students and I sailing in Lake Michigan earlier this summer. It was slightly cold that day at 59℉ with 15 mph winds but also surprisingly sunny, which meant we needed to whip out the sunscreen. Did you know many sunscreens contain nanoparticles? Well, they …
Continue reading "Personal Care Products, Nano, and You"
Not too long ago, a team of frustrated scientists glanced up from their computer screens and saw the untapped potential beyond their lab doors. They had spent years trying to unravel the mysteries of protein folding, but some just couldn’t seem to be solved. Why not harness the brainpower of the public? The biochemists disguised …
Continue reading "Citizen nanoscientists: Can you design nanomaterials from the couch?"
Sustainability is a hot topic these days, even making its way into advertisements for one of the world’s biggest companies (see below). I would guess that on this very day, you have thought about sustainability, or at least encountered the idea. Maybe you saw a commercial that told you to “go green”, or read an …
Continue reading "What Does Sustainable Have To Do With Nano?"
Sustainable Nano 