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Week 8: Nanotech + Art


Lotus flower.

I came into this week having little to no knowledge about nanotechnology, and while I still found myself getting a little lost during the lecture videos, I feel like I learned important information about a topic that is extremely relevant in the scientific world today.  In the lecture video part 3, one topic that really caught my attention was when Professor Gimzewski introduced the compound called titanium dioxide.  This nanoparticle has self-cleaning properties that are also found in the Asian Lotus plant.  When looking at the lotus plant with a reflection electron microscope, you can see that the leaves are not smooth, but instead have small waxy bumps.  

This design has been adopted in the nanotechnology field to create surfaces that are water resistant and self-cleaning.  I think this technology can and will be extremely useful in several instances in our society.  Being able to manufacture materials that are self-cleaning would save lots of time and energy spent into cleaning surfaces, as well as save water and limit the amount of chemicals used to clean all types of surfaces.  In an article I read from Nano Werk, it said that “the sensitivity of these surface structures to mechanical load prevents them from being used widely.”  So, while the practical uses may be limited at this point in time, I do think that further research in the nanotechnology field will make it so this will be able to be incorporated in our everyday lives.

This is a link to a video that depicts the water resistant nature of this nanoparticle.
http://www.popsci.com/nanoparticle-coating-creates-damage-resistant-self-cleaning-surfaces
References
"Nanowerk Emerging Technology News." Nanowerk Nanotechnology portal. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2017.

Uconlineprogram. "Nanotech Jim pt3." YouTube. YouTube, 21 May 2012. Web. 28 May 2017.

Rothemund, Paul. "DNA folding, in detail." Paul Rothemund: DNA folding, in detail | TED Talk | TED.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2017.

"Asian flowers lotus in pink." Asian flowers lotus in pink.jpg Hi-Res 720p HD. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 May 2017.

"Titanium dioxide." Titanium dioxide - Registration Dossier - ECHA. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 May 2017.


"Nano-Coating Makes Self-Cleaning Surfaces That Are Tougher Than Knives [Video]." Popular Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 May 2017.

Comments

  1. William ConnerMay 31, 2017 at 5:47 PM

    Nanotechnology is very intriguing to me because of how little attention we pay to it. The lotus flower was interesting to me because I never knew why they were water resistant. Interesting post about how art and nanotechnology and reliant upon each other.

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