It’s a Nano World After All Mr. Rust Project STEP April 10, 2006

Warm-up Question Who had the most fun on spring break? The correct answer is Mr. Rust

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

There are some things we like to make big

World’s Tallest Building Taipei 101 Tower Taipei, Taiwan 509 m (1,671 ft)

World’s Fastest Airplane SR71 Blackbird 2200 mph = 983 m/s

World’s Longest Bridge Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge Kobe-Naruto, Japan 1,991 meters

There are other things we’d like to make smaller

Can Anyone Figure Out What This Was? Computer (from 1940’s)

Computers - Now

Can Anyone Figure Out What This Was? Telephone (circa 1900)

Phones - Now

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

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”

Let’s do some comparisons Work with the person next to you Arrange the objects based on size from largest to smallest

And the Answers Are…

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

Why Nanotechnology? Super strong materials Stain-resistant clothes Fabrics as strong as steel

Why Nanotechnology? Faster and smaller computers Your cell phone will also be a computer Electronic paper

Why Nanotechnology? Medical advances New ways to monitor and treat diseases Nanorobots Implantable chips

Why Nanotechnology? Agriculture Make crops directly, atom by atom Feed everyone Improve food packaging Reduce spoiling

Why Nanotechnology? Energy More efficient energy sources and applications Better solar cells Lights - LEDs

Some products already use nanotechnology

Sunscreen New sunscreens that use TiO2 nanoparticles to absorb UV rays

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

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.

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.

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!

Are there any dangers? Environment Health Terrorism 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 can’t stop them? Economics will nanotechnology reduce or add to poverty?

What kind of investment are we talking about here? Investments in 2002 US invested $604 million Japan invested $750 million

Where can you find more info? www.nano.gov http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/antenna/nano/