Its a Nano World After All Mr. Rust Project STEP April 10, 2006

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Its a Nano World After All Mr. RustProject
STEPApril 10, 2006
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Warm-up Question

• Who had the most fun on spring break?
• The correct answer is Mr. Rust

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Outline

• Introduction
• Big vs Small
• What is nanoscale?
• Activity How small is nano?
• Why is Nanotechnology important?
• Applications of Nanotechnology
• Terms and Definitions

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There are some things we like to make big
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Worlds Tallest Building
Taipei 101 Tower Taipei, Taiwan 509 m (1,671 ft)
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Worlds Fastest Airplane
SR71 Blackbird 2200 mph 983 m/s
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Worlds Longest Bridge
Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge Kobe-Naruto, Japan 1,991
meters
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There are other things wed like to make smaller
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Can Anyone Figure Out What This Was?
Computer (from 1940s)
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Computers - Now
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Can Anyone Figure Out What This Was?
Telephone (circa 1900)
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Phones - Now
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Why the Small Trend?

• Some things work better, faster, cheaper when
  they are smaller
• Faster computers
• Smaller cell phones
• How small can we go?
• Nanotechnology is the pursuit of that goal

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What is nanotechnology?

• The science of manipulating matter on the scale
  of 1-100 nm
• nm nanometers
• 1x10-9 m
• 1 billion nanometer 1 meter

Nanotechnology Very very very small The word
Nano comes from Greek word meaning dwarf
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Lets do some comparisons

• Work with the person next to you
• Arrange the objects based on size from largest to
  smallest

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And the Answers Are
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The Scale of Things

• 10.Elephant 5 m
• 9. Human 1 m
• 8. Head of pin 2 mm
• 7. Grain of sand 1 mm
• 6. Dust mite 200 µm
• 5. Human hair 100 µm
• 4. Red blood cell 10 µm
• 3. Virus 100 nm
• 2. Diameter of DNA 2 nm
• 1. Atom 0.1 nm

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Why Nanotechnology?

• Super strong materials
• Stain-resistant clothes
• Fabrics as strong as steel

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Why Nanotechnology?

• Faster and smaller computers
• Your cell phone will also be a computer
• Electronic paper

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Why Nanotechnology?

• Medical advances
• New ways to monitor and treat diseases
• Nanorobots
• Implantable chips

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Why Nanotechnology?

• Agriculture
• Make crops directly, atom by atom
• Feed everyone
• Improve food packaging
• Reduce spoiling

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Why Nanotechnology?

• Energy
• More efficient energy sources and applications
• Better solar cells
• Lights - LEDs

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Some products already use nanotechnology
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Sunscreen

• New sunscreens that use TiO2 nanoparticles to
  absorb UV rays

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Self Cleaning Windows
With nanoparticles Without nanoparticles
What happens to water droplets when they dry?
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Stain Resistant Clothes

• Would you rather have kool-aid soak into your
  pants or have it bead-up on the surface?
• Spills don't soak in, they just roll away.
• Stubborn stains wash out easily.

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Sports

• Shock-absorbing shoes give softer landings
• Great for basketball players
• Balls keep their pressure for longer gameplay
• Stronger tennis rackets and golf clubs can
  deliver more powerful, straighter shots.

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Candy Willy Wonka Style

• Researchers are working on candy that can change
  on command
• Flavor
• Color
• Nutrients
• So you could eat vegetables that taste like
  candy!

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Are there any dangers?

• Environment
• How will nanoparticles affect the soil, animals,
  water, etc.?
• Health
• How will nanoparticles affect you?
• Terrorism
• Chemical/biological warfare agents
• Runnaway replicators
• If we make nanorobots that can replicate
  themselves, what happens if we cant stop them?
• Economics
• will nanotechnology reduce or add to poverty?

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What kind of investment are we talking about here?

• Investments in 2002
• US invested 604 million
• Japan invested 750 million

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Where can you find more info?

• www.nano.gov
• http//www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/antenna/nano/