WEEK 5: NANOTECH +ART

Taking quantum chemistry this summer, I'm familiar with the "quantum effect," and indeed, like Richard Feynman says, there is "plenty of room at the bottom." The hardest thing to realize is that the world is mostly just open space and that everything that looks solid is actually just tiny particles connected together. When we really look into these tiny structures, that is when the magic of science truly happens.

Nanotechnology is prominent in our every day lives to create color, patterns, and other special effects. When people think of color they think of different pigments. However, the medieval stained glass artisans created ruby red windows by trapping gold nano-particles in a "glass matrix." Likewise, they created yellow by using silver nano-particles. The science of color is behind the size of these particles, the way they interact with the glass, and the way it absorbs and reflects light. Nanotechnology is also the reason why we have sunscreen, cosmetics, and why geckos can climb walls. Amazingly, they are part of us without us even noticing. By studying the nano-structure of gecko feet, maybe one day humans can climb walls too!

The most magical part of nanotechnology is self-assembly: the way the world just created itself without anyone to put things where they're supposed to go. The beautiful crystal structures of snowflakes are also the products self-assembly. With the freezing of water around dust particles and the randomness of temperature and humidity, what look like white blobs of snow are actually ice structures of beauty.

 Creation of a Snowflake

TED: Paul Rothemund details DNA folding: Here Paul Rothemund talks more about nano-particle structures, DNA origami, and molecular programming.

Sources:

Beckett, Bradley, and William Gough. "History." Nanotechnology. Blogger, n.d. Web. 26 July 2014. <http://nano--tech.blogspot.com/p/history.html>.

Dir. Dr. Gimzewski. Nanotech Jim Pt1. YouTube, 21 May 2012. Web. 26 July 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7jM6-iqzzE>.

Dir. Dr. Gimzewski. Nanotech Jim Pt5. YouTube, 21 May 2012. Web. 26 July 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OWc8nmHJmY>.

Paul Rothemund: DNA Folding, in Detail. TED, Feb. 2008. Web. 26 July 2014. <http://www.ted.com/talks/paul_rothemund_details_dna_folding#t-856965>.

Watch: Creation of a Snowflake. The Weather Channel, 26 Feb. 2014. Web. 26 July 2014. <http://www.weather.com/video/watch-creation-of-a-snowflake-45078>.