1. STEM ED/CHM Nanotechnology 2007
Today’s Agenda
Nano Size Me
How big is a nanometer?
Why Size Matters
Nanomaterials are different
Nano Sunscreen
Ultraviolet light and nanoparticles
Hands on activities for each

2. Nano Size Me
IBM chip
UMass Logo
TI mirror array

3. The Nano Scale
Nano materials are typically 1 to 100 nanometers in size
1 nanometer = 1/1,000,000,000 meters
How do such materials fit into the overall scale of objects in nature?
And how big is a nanometer in terms of something basic?

4. We’ll use powers of ten
Handy way to express very large or very small numbers.
Easier than writing lots of zeros!
106
reads 'ten to the 6'
is 1 followed by 6 zeros, 1,000,000
is 1.0 with the point moved right by 6 places

5. Negative powers of 10 10-6 reads 'ten to the minus 6'
is 1 divided by 106 , 1/1,000,000
is 1.0 with the point moved left by six places, 0.000,001

6. How big is a meter?
Width?
~2 meters
Height?
~ 1 meter

7. 101 meters = 10 meters
Adapted from

8. 100 meter = 1 meter

9. 10-1 meters = 0.1 meters
fly

10. 10-2 meters = 0.01m
1 centimeter = 1 cm

11. 10-3 meters = meters
1 millimeter = 1 mm
Fly’s eye

12. 10-4 meters = meters
Fly’s eye as seen with electron microscope

13. 10-5 meters = meters
Red blood cells

14. 10-6 meters = 0.000,001 meters
Bacteria

15. 10-7 meters = 0.000,000,1 meters
Computer Chip details
10-7 meters

16. 10-8 meters = 0.000,000,01 meters
“Quantum corral” of iron atoms on a copper surface

17. 10-9 meters = 0.000,000,001 meters DNA (1 nanometer = 1 nm)
3 nanometers
DNA

18. meters = 0.000,000,000,1 meters
Carbon atom, with 6 electrons and a nucleus

19. 10-14 meters = 0.000,000,000,000,01 meters Carbon nucleus,
made up of 6 protons and 6 neutrons

20. Proton (or neutron) composed of 3 quarks
meters = 0.000,000,000,000,001 meters
1 femtometer = 1 fm
Proton (or neutron) composed of 3 quarks

21. So how big is a nanometer?
Carbon atom diameter ~ m
10 x m = m
1 nanometer ~ 10 atoms wide
Nano films are a x 10 atoms in thickness
Nano particles are 1 to 100 x 10 atoms in diameter

22. The Size Me Challenge Each team has an envelope containing
A 3 page list of powers of ten
24 picture cards
Place each card next to the appropriate power of ten
Size matches will be approximate
Some matches will be easy, some will be hard!

23. That’s if for now …

24. Approximate sizes 1. Thickness of a penny 1 mm = 10-3 m 2.
Oxygen atom nucleus
1 femtometer =
10-15 m 3.
Red blood cell diameter
10 microns = 10-5 m 4.
Height of a 5 year old child
1 m

25. Approximate sizes, 2 5. Proteinase enzyme 10-8 m = 10 nm
(~ 100 atomic diameters) 6.
Dust mite
10-4 m (0.1 mm) 7.
Wedding ring width
1 cm = 10-2 m 8.
Length of amoeba
10-44 m

26. Approximate sizes, 3 9. Width of electrical outlet cover
10-2 m = 10 cm
10.
Diameter of a ribosome
10-8 m (10 nm)
11.
Thickness of sewing thread
10-3 m = 1 mm
12.
Width of a water molecule
10-9 m = 1 nm

27. Approximate sizes, 4 13. Width of a bacterium 10-6 m = 1 micron 14.
Length of an apple seed
10-2 m = 1 cm
15.
Diameter of a virus
10-7 m = 100 nm
16.
Length of a business envelope
10-1 m = 10 cm

28. Approximate sizes, 5 17. Diameter of a quarter 10-2 m = 1 cm 18.
Length of human muscle cell
10-4 m = 100 microns
19.
Diameter of a carbon nanotube
10-8 m = 10 nm
20.
Length of a phone book
10-1 m = 10 cm

29. Approximate sizes, 6 21. Height of an NBA player 100 m = 1 m 22.
Diameter of nitrogen atom
10-10 m
23.
Thickness of a staple
10-3 m = 1 mm
24.
Wavelength of visible light
10-7 m = 100 nm
(Actually, 400 – 700)