a blog by the NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology
When talking about chemists, what image comes to your mind? Labs, tubes, beakers, colorful solutions, turning dirt into gold... Yes, yes, those images represent some parts of chemistry in a general way, but did you know that there exists a group of chemists whose main task is to code? (For example, check out this video.) …
Continue reading "A Quick Peek Into Computational Chemistry"
Engineered nanoparticles (NPs) are now components of thousands of consumer products, including personal care products, sporting goods, solar panels, and next-generation batteries. In fact, demand for electric car batteries (built using lithium-nickel-cobalt nanosheets) might cause lithium prices to skyrocket in the coming decade, and completely change the way in which the element lithium is recovered …
Continue reading "Engineered Nanoparticles Change Shape in Soil and Groundwater"
My typical day (maybe like yours) involves waking up, taking a 10 minute shower, cooking breakfast, running the dishwasher if itās full, going to work, eating dinner with a refreshing glass of filtered water, and maybe tackling a load of laundry in the evening. None of these actions feel extravagant, but when I look at …
Continue reading "Carbon Nanotubes: the Next Generation of Global Water Purification?"
Ready for a little test?Ā Try to list all of the things you can think of that are found in a river or lakeā¦ Iām sure you came up with things like fish, algae, dirt, plants, and many others.Ā 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"
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"
While a tablespoon of pond water might look quite devoid of life, a closer look reveals quite the opposite. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIMJWWpOrjw Though they may be difficult to spot with the naked eye, that doesn't mean they're not important or amazing. Here are some of the amazing crittersĀ shown in that video and some interesting facts about each. …
Continue reading "Hidden Life in Pond Water"
Recent discoveries continue to highlight the many uses of that wonderful kingdom of life, fungus.Ā Penicillin, a group of antibiotics that changed medicine forever, is derived from the Penicillium fungi (taken from a moldy cantaloupe in an Illinois market). These antibiotics have saved countless lives since WWII and are still in use today. Yeast, perhaps …
Continue reading "Fungus Amongus ā the Nanoparticle Producers"
Bassam Z. Shakhashiri Professor of Chemistry The William T. Evjue Distinguished Chair for the Wisconsin Idea Director, Wisconsin Initiative for Science Literacy Department of Chemistry University of Wisconsin-Madison It was a privilege and a great honor to serve as president of the American Chemical Society in 2012. Only two other UW-Madison faculty members have served …
Continue reading "Exhortations for Responsible Action*"
This is part one of a two (maybe threeā¦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 …
The next time that you go to your sink and pour a glass of water, take a second to think about whatās in it. It likely has a little bit of chlorine, some fluoride for your teeth, and small amounts of mineralsābut most importantly it has no appreciable amount of nasty disease-causing pathogens or toxic …
Continue reading "New Filter Gives Drinking Water a Silver Lining"
Sustainable Nano 