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Generation Nano: Presented by the National Science Foundation and the National Nanotechnology Initiative

Resources

Below is some background information about nanotechnology. Students may also choose to utilize the following nanotechnology resources and multimedia resources for their comic strip and video generation (but are not limited to these resources).

Nanotechnology

What is nanoscience or nanotechnology? The prefix "nano" means 1 billionth of something. For example, a nanometer is a billionth of a meter or 109 of a meter. Or, put another way, 1 billion nanometers are in 1 meter. It's difficult to conceptualize things on this scale, so here are a few illustrations:

  • A sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometers thick.
  • A human hair is approximately 80,000-100,000 nanometers wide.
  • A single gold atom is about a third of a nanometer in diameter.
  • A nanometer is a million times smaller than the length of an ant.

So, nanoscience, or nanotechnology, is the study of super-small materials and structures, and understanding ways to manipulate those materials for beneficial uses. The interesting aspect is that at the nanoscale, materials can take on fascinating and unique characteristics. In fact, various properties such as melting point, electrical conductivity and chemical reactivity can actually change as the size of the nanoparticle changes.

Nano-sized particles are not new; they are present in nature. However, scientists only recently developed the tools necessary to visualize these particles and begin to manipulate them for desired beneficial uses. One of the oldest examples of nanoscale particles exhibiting different properties is gold particles. To us, the metal gold looks yellow in color to our eye. However, at the nanoscale, gold particles actually appear red or purple.

As far back as the Middle Ages, glass makers knew that using gold in their molten-sand mixture resulted in red-colored glass. Though they were unaware of the process, they were catching gold nanoparticles in the "glass matrix," resulting in a red, rather than yellow, hue to the glass.

Real-world Nanotechnology Applications:

Today, scientists study and manipulate materials on the nanoscale across all disciplines of science. In biology, with the help of "recognition" particles and "amplifying" particles specific to DNA, researchers are able to modify gold nanoparticles. By making these modifications, researchers can detect disease-specific biomarkers found in the blood with greater sensitivity than classical screening methods. This research is vital for the early detection of diseases, such as cancer.

New nanotechnology-enabled sensors and solutions may one day be able to detect, identify, and filter out and/or neutralize harmful chemical or biological agents in the air and soil with much higher sensitivity than is possible today. Researchers around the world are investigating carbon nanotube "scrubbers" and membranes to separate carbon dioxide from power plant exhaust. And researchers are investigating particles such as self-assembled monolayers on mesoporous supports (SAMMS™), dendrimers, carbon nanotubes and metalloporphyrinogens to determine how to apply their unique chemical and physical properties for various kinds of toxic site remediation.

Nanotechnology could help meet the need for affordable, clean drinking water through rapid, low-cost detection of impurities in, and filtration and purification of, water. For example, researchers have discovered unexpected magnetic interactions between ultra-small specks of rust, which can help remove arsenic or carbon tetrachloride from water. And they are developing nanostructured filters that can remove virus cells from water, as well as investigating a deionization method using nano-sized fiber electrodes to reduce the cost and energy requirements of removing salts from water.

Nanoscale additives to, or surface treatments of, fabrics help them resist wrinkling, staining, and bacterial growth, and provide lightweight ballistic energy deflection in personal body armor.

Superhero and Nanotechnology Connections:

  • Spider-Man -- Did you know that students at Stanford University can climb a glass wall just like Spider-Man? Inspired by geckos, which have nanoscale hairs covering their feet that increase the amount of surface they interact with and enable them to hold on, even when they're upside down, the students created climbing gloves.
  • What's stronger than spider silk? Carbon nanotube fibers are and they can conduct electricity. With nanotechnology, Spidey's webs would be even stronger and he could taste the bad guys, too.
  • Invisible Woman -- Did you know that Sue Storm won't be the only person that can make something invisible? Scientists are creating metamaterials that can bend light in unexpected ways, the first step to making invisibility cloaks.
  • Iron Man -- Did you know Iron Man is already using nanotechnology? He's used graphene as a face plate and it really is strong enough to stop a bullet.
  • X-Men - Wolverine can heal super quickly, but what about the rest of the X-Men? Scientists are making nano-enabled bandages that release the right type of chemical at the right time to help the body heal more efficiently. Soon, Wolverine won't be able to have all the glory while Cyclops is laid-up in a hospital bed.

Nanotechnology Resources

Multimedia Resources

Generation Nano Competition
National Science Foundation
4201 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, Virginia 22230 USA

gennano@nsf.gov

Follow the competition #GenNano

Who: High-school students — individuals or teams of two to three

What: A written entry, 2–3 page comic strip and 90-second video introducing the hero and story • Explains importance and potential impact of societal mission • Describes nanotechnology usage

When: Competition opens October 5, 2016; submissions due by 11:59 p.m. EST, January 31, 2017.

Where: Learn more and submit your entry online at www.nsf.gov/GenNano

Why: To promote early interest in nanoscale science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

More Questions? Contact the Generation Nano team at gennano@nsf.gov