a blog by the NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology
The size of the materials in nanotechnology is one of the most important factors that power and define the properties of the nanomaterials. But there are many different techniques for measuring that size, and depending on the measurement methods, the results may vary! It doesn’t mean the actual lengths or diameters of the materials change: …
Continue reading "How do we measure the size of nanoparticles in a solution?"
Gold is one of the most highly desired metals in the world. The precious yellow metal is rare in nature and has been used as a medium of currency and in the making of jewelry since ancient times (Figure 1).1 Believed to be brought to Earth by meteors, gold is truly out of this world!2 …
Continue reading "Can gold melt at room temperature? Melting temperature depression!"
Ready for a little test? Try to list all of the things you can think of that are found in a river or lake… I’m sure you came up with things like fish, algae, dirt, plants, and many others. But one thing found in these water bodies that you may not have thought of and …
Continue reading "Invisible Remnants of Dead Stuff Hiding in Water"
Here is the underside of a ladybug. Click the image to enlarge. You won't regret it! In this post I hope to help you appreciate just how small "nano" is, using the official ladybug of science! Before we get there, let me explain how I took this image. Step 1 - Find a dead ladybug. …
Continue reading "Animated Ladybug Super Zoom-In"
Designing non-toxic nanomaterials requires that we understand how those nanomaterials interact with biological systems. Systems such as you me, and all other organisms, contain a “biological soup” of chemical compounds, known as biomolecules. So the question becomes…how do nanomaterials transform once they come into contact with these biomolecules? This question has become increasingly important, especially …
Continue reading "How I Study Nanoparticles’ Interactions with Biological Soup"
In Marco's previous post, you can read how making nanoparticles is like baking – different proportions of ingredients and different processing conditions (time and temperature) can turn your batter into a pancake, bread, a biscuit, etc. But how do you come up with recipes to make nanoparticles in the first place? In general, as I …
Continue reading "Two Ways to Make Nanoparticles"
Nanoparticles and the Environment Series, Part II (click here for Part I) Let’s dive in to a real-world nanotechnology problem raised by one of our readers: should waste composed of nanoparticles, let’s call it “nanowaste”, be disposed of differently than regular waste? There are many types of nanowaste that we could discuss, but today we’ll …
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 "The Atomic Difference Between Diamonds and Graphite"
The last time I played with Google Street View, I saw my car in the driveway and could practically count the teeth on a jack o’ lantern on my porch. I thought, wouldn’t it be amazing if I could drop-land on the surface of a nanoparticle and take a look around the scenery? What about …
Continue reading "The Mystery of the Surface: Your Kitchen Table is Far From Simple"
Coffee. Not only can it be used in scientific experiments, but every day the delectable flavors derived from the humble coffee bean wake up and fuel a substantial proportion of the population. But just how do those delicious flavors get from the bean into your cup? It all comes down to a process called extraction. …
Sustainable Nano 