Transcript STEM ED/CHM Nanotechnology 2008 Why Size Matters Adapted from Nanosense http://nanosense.org/activities/sizematters/properties/SM_PropSlides.ppt Relative sizes (review) • Atomic nuclei ~ 10-15 meters = 10-6 nanometers • Atoms ~

STEM ED/CHM Nanotechnology 2008
Why Size Matters
Adapted from Nanosense
http://nanosense.org/activities/sizematters/properties/SM_PropSlides.ppt
Relative sizes (review)
• Atomic nuclei ~ 10-15 meters
= 10-6 nanometers
• Atoms ~ 10-10 meters = 0.1 nanometers
• Nanoscale ~ 1 to 100 nanometers
~ 10 to 1000 atoms
• Everyday world ~ 1 meter
= 109 nanometers
The Basic Physics
• At the everyday scale, Newton’s laws
(F=ma, etc.) work fine
• At the atomic and molecular level,
quantum mechanics is needed to describe
phenomena and properties
– Discrete energy levels, tunneling
• Nanomaterials are in a borderline region
where either or both approaches may be
appropriate
The Basic Forces
• Strong Nuclear Force – huge, hold nuclei
together; act only at nuclear distances, 10-6 nm
• Weak Nuclear Force – small, responsible for
nuclear beta decay, act only at nuclear
distances, 10-6 nm
• Electric and Magnetic – dominant at atomic and
nanotech scales; 1039 × gravitational forces; long
ranged, 1/r2
• Gravitational – long ranged, 1/r2; dominant at
everyday world scale, since most objects lack a
substantial net electrical charge
Properties of a Material
• Types of properties
– Optical (e.g. color, transparency)
– Electrical (e.g. conductivity)
– Physical (e.g. hardness, melting point,
diffusion rate)
– Chemical (e.g. reactivity, reaction rates)
• Properties are usually measured by
looking at large (~1023) aggregations of
atoms or molecules
Optical Properties Example:
Gold
• Bulk gold appears yellow in color
• Nanosized gold appears red in color
– The particles are so small that electrons
are not free to move about as in bulk gold
– Because this movement is restricted, the
particles react differently with light
“Bulk” gold looks yellow
12 nanometer gold particles look red
Sources: http://www.sharps-jewellers.co.uk/rings/images/bien-hccncsq5.jpg
http://www.foresight.org/Conferences/MNT7/Abstracts/Levi/
Optical Properties Example:
Zinc Oxide (ZnO)
• Large ZnO particles
– Block UV light
– Scatter visible light
– Appear white
• Nanosized ZnO particles
– Block UV light
– So small compared to the
wavelength of visible light that
they don’t scatter it
– Appear clear
• Application to sunscreen
“Traditional” ZnO
sunscreen is white
Sources: http://www.apt powders.com/images/zno/im_zinc_oxide_particles.jpg
http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s1165709.htm
http://www.4girls.gov/body/sunscreen.jpg
Nanoscale ZnO
sunscreen is clear
Zinc oxide nanoparticles
Electrical Properties Example:
Conductivity of Nanotubes
• Nanotubes are long, thin cylinders of carbon
– They are 100 times stronger than steel, very flexible,
and have unique electrical properties
• Their electrical properties change with diameter,
“twist”, and number of walls
– They can be either conducting or semi-conducting in
their electrical behavior
Electric current
varies by tube
structure
Multi-walled
Source: http://www.weizmann.ac.il/chemphys/kral/nano2.jpg
Physical Properties: Diffusion
• Small particles (molecules in suspensions,
dust particles in air) move randomly
in zigzag paths (Brownian motion)
due to collisions
• Particles spread out or diffuse when
introduced into a medium at one point
– Perfume in a room
• Average kinetic energy ½ mv2 ~ temperature
• Average particle speeds decrease as mass
increases, so more massive particles diffuse
more slowly
Physical Properties Change:
Melting Point of a Substance
• Melting Point (Microscopic Definition)
– 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
A flower or a person at
the edge of a crowd
has fewer neighbors
than one in the middle
People at the edge
can move more easily
Size Matters in Biology
• Metabolism (heat generation) is limited by the
number of cells, or volume, L3
• Heat loss to the environment is proportional to
the surface area, L2
• As we look at smaller and smaller organisms,
the surface to volume ratio L2/ L3 = 1/L gets
larger and larger, making it harder to maintain
body temperature (even with feathers, fur)
• Smallest warm blooded organisms are
hummingbirds and the shrew, a small mouselike mammal
What Does This All Mean?
• Key factors for understanding nanoscalerelated properties
– Dominance of electromagnetic forces
– Importance of quantum mechanical models
– Higher surface area to volume ratio
– Random (Brownian) motion
• It is important to understand these four
factors when researching new materials
and properties
Surface to Volume Ratio
Experiments
• As a sample is made larger, a smaller fraction of
the atoms (or molecules) are on the surface
• Atoms on the surface have fewer neighbors than
those on the interior
– Students at the edge of the classroom have fewer
neighbors than those in the center
• Explore this with two activities – cards, blocks
• Only atoms on the surface can interact with
another material and take part in a chemical
reaction
• Explore this with Alka Seltzer tablets and powder
Activities
•
•
•
•
•
Groups of 3 people
Write ups, cards, blocks, Alka Seltzer materials
Explore the effects of increasing size with the
cards
Explore the effects of increasing size with the
blocks
Do the Alka- Seltzer experiment to see the
effect of particle size on chemical processes