THE BIG INTEREST IN STUDYING SMALL THINGS

Nanoscience
Yolanda Anderson MSTA 2008

What Exactly is Nanoscience?

What is Nanoscale Science?

y

The study of objects and phenomena at a very small scale, roughly 1 to 100 nanometers (nm)
y y

10 hydrogen atoms lined up measure about 1 nm A grain of sand is 1 million nm, or 1 millimeter, wide Physics Chemistry Biology Engineering Materials Science Computer Science

An emerging, interdisciplinary science involving

y y y y y y

Source: http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/s2s/latest/bialt1/src/WhatIsNano/images/molecule.gif

Understanding Size
y 1 metre

source: CERN http://microcosm.web.cern.ch/microcosm

Understanding Size
y 10 centimetres

source: CERN http://microcosm.web.cern.ch/microcosm

Understanding Size
y 1 centimetre

source: CERN http://microcosm.web.cern.ch/microcosm

Understanding Size
y 100 micrometres

source: CERN http://microcosm.web.cern.ch/microcosm

Understanding Size
y 10 micrometres

source: CERN http://microcosm.web.cern.ch/microcosm

Understanding Size
y 1 micrometre

source: CERN http://microcosm.web.cern.ch/microcosm

Understanding Size
y 100 nanometres

source: CERN http://microcosm.web.cern.ch/microcosm

Understanding Size
y 10 nanometres

source: CERN http://microcosm.web.cern.ch/microcosm

Understanding Size
y 1 nanometre

source: CERN http://microcosm.web.cern.ch/microcosm

Are You a Nanobit Curious?

y What s interesting about the nanoscale?
y Nanosized particles exhibit different properties than

larger particles of the same substance

y As we study phenomena at this scale we
y Learn more about the nature of matter y Develop new theories y Discover new questions and answers in many areas,

including health care, energy, and technology y Figure out how to make new products and technologies that can improve people s lives
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Potential Impacts

How might nanoscale science and engineering improve our lives?

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Innovations In Development or Under Investigation

y Health Care
y Chemical and biological sensors, drugs and delivery

devices, prosthetics and biosensors

y Technology
y Better data storage and computation

y Environment
y Clean energy, clean air

Thin layers of gold are used in tiny medical devices

Carbon nanotubes can be used for H fuel storage

Possible entry point for 15 nanomedical device

Health Care: Nerve Tissue Talking to Computers

y Neuro-electronic networks interface nerve cells

with semiconductors
y Possible applications in brain research,

neurocomputation, prosthetics, biosensors

Snail neuron grown on a chip that records the neuron s activity

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Source: http://www.biochem.mpg.de/mnphys/publications/05voefro/abstract.html

Technology: A DVD That Could Hold a Million Movies

y Current CD and DVD media have storage scale in

micrometers y New nanomedia (made when gold self-assembles into strips on silicon) has a storage scale in nanometers
y That is 1,000 times more storage along each dimension

(length, width)

or 1,000,000 times greater storage density in total!

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Source: Images adapted from http://uw.physics.wisc.edu/~himpsel/nano.html

Technology: Building Smaller Devices and Chips

y Nanolithography to create tiny patterns
y Lay down ink atom by atom

Mona Lisa, 8 microns tall, created by AFM nanolithography

Transporting molecules to a surface by dip-pen nanolithography

Sources: http://www.ntmdt.ru/SPM-Techniques/Principles/Lithographies/AFM_Oxidation_Lithography_mode37.html 18 http://www.chem.northwestern.edu/~mkngrp/dpn.htm

Environment: Nano Solar Cells

y Nano solar cells mixed in plastic could be painted

on buses, roofs, and clothing

y Solar becomes a cheap energy alternative!

] 200 nm
Nano solar cell: Inorganic nanorods embedded in semiconducting polymer, sandwiched between two electrodes
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Source: http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2002/03/28_solar.html

Size-Dependent Properties

So now that we can see what s going on How do properties change at the nanoscale?
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Optical Properties Change: Color of Gold

y Bulk gold appears yellow in color y Nanosized gold appears red in color
y The particles are so small that electrons are not free

to move about as in bulk gold y Because this movement is restricted, the particles react differently with light

Bulk gold looks yellow

12 nanometer gold clusters of particles look red

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Sources: http://www.sharps-jewellers.co.uk/rings/images/bien-hccncsq5.jpg http://www.foresight.org/Conferences/MNT7/Abstracts/Levi/

Electrical Properties Change: Conductivity of Nanotubes

y Nanotubes are long, thin cylinders of carbon
y They are 100 times stronger than steel, very flexible,

and have unique electrical properties

y Their electrical properties change with diameter,

twist , and number of walls

y They can be either conducting or semi-conducting in

their electrical behavior

Electric current varies by tube structure Multi-walled
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Source: http://www.weizmann.ac.il/chemphys/kral/nano2.jpg

Physical Properties Change: Melting Point of a Substance

y Melting Point (Microscopic Definition)
y Temperature at which the atoms, ions, or

molecules in a substance have enough energy to overcome the intermolecular forces that hold the them in a fixed position in a solid
Surface atoms require less energy to move because they are in contact with fewer atoms of the substance
In contact with 3 atoms In contact with 7 atoms
Sources: http://puffernet.tripod.com/thermometer.jpg and image adapted from http://serc.carleton.edu/usingdata/nasaimages/index4.html

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Physical Properties Example: Substances Melting Point II

At the macroscale
The majority almost all on the of the atoms inside of the object are

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At the nanoscale
split between the inside and the surface of the object

Changing an object s size The melting point

has a very small effect on the percentage of atoms on the surface doesn t depend on size

has a big effect on the percentage of atoms on the surface is lower for smaller particles

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Is Gold Always Gold ?

y Cutting down a cube of gold y If you have a cube of pure gold and cut it, what color would the pieces be? y Now you cut those pieces. What color will each of the pieces be? y If you keep doing this - cutting each block in half - will the pieces of gold always look gold ?

Source: http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/GRAPHIC0/GEOMORPH/SurfaceVol0.gif

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Nanogold
y Well

strange things happen at the small scale y If you keep cutting until the gold pieces are in the nanoscale range, they don t look gold anymore They 12 nm gold particles look red look RED! y In fact, depending on size, Other sizes are other colors they can turn red, blue, yellow, and other colors
Why? Different thicknesses of materials reflect and absorb light differently

Source: http://www.nano.uts.edu.au/pics/au_atoms.jpg

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Nanostructures

What kind of nanostructures can we make? What kind of nanostructures exist in nature?

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Carbon Nanotubes
y Using new techniques,

we ve created amazing structures like carbon nanotubes

100 time stronger than steel and very flexible If added to materials like car bumpers, increases strength and flexibility
Model of a carbon nanotube

Source: http://www.library.utoronto.ca/engineering-computer-science/news_bulletin/images/nanotube.jpeg

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Carbon Buckyballs (C60)

y Incredible strength due

to their bond structure and soccer ball shape y Could be useful shells for drug delivery
Can penetrate cell walls Are nonreactive (move safely through blood stream)
Model of Buckminsterfullerene

Source: http://digilander.libero.it/geodesic/buckyball-2Layer1.jpg

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Nanoscience Activities by Subject Area

Classroom Ideas For Biology

y Re-creating photosynthesis y Studying nature can gives us clues as

to the nature of self-assembly y Analyzing energy using different types of citrus y Cell division (cancer)

Classroom Ideas for Chemistry

y Solution chemistry making electrolytes

(concentration is important) y Chemical reactions involving titanium dioxide (TiO2 is also a potent photocatalyst that
can break down almost any organic compound when exposed to sunlight)

y Oxidation/Reduction Reactions y Voltaic Cells

Classroom Ideas for Physics

y Ohm s Law y Internal Resistance y Cells in Series or parallel y Measuring current/power density y Storing solar energy using a capacitor y Conservation of Energy