by Hyunho Kang The size of the materials in nanotechnology is one of the most important factors that power and define the properties of the nanomaterials. But there are many different techniques for measuring that …
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Can gold melt at room temperature? Melting temperature depression!
by Meng Wu edited by Alicia McGeachy Gold is one of the most highly desired metals in the world. The precious yellow metal is rare in nature and has been used as a medium of …
Invisible Remnants of Dead Stuff Hiding in Water
by Arielle Mensch Ready for a little test? Try to list all of the things you can think of that are found in a river or lake… I’m sure you came up with things like …
Animated Ladybug Super Zoom-In
by Tom Kuech Here is the underside of a ladybug. Click the image to enlarge. You won’t regret it! In this post I hope to help you appreciate just how small “nano” is, using the …
How I Study Nanoparticles’ Interactions with Biological Soup
by Lisa Jacob Designing non-toxic nanomaterials requires that we understand how those nanomaterials interact with biological systems. Systems such as you me, and all other organisms, contain a “biological soup” of chemical compounds, known as …
Two Ways to Make Nanoparticles
by Cathy Murphy In Marco’s previous post, you can read how making nanoparticles is like baking – different proportions of ingredients and different processing conditions (time and temperature) can turn your batter into a pancake, …
Dumping Nanoparticles into a Fjord: How to Think About the Potential Environmental Impacts
by Ian Gunsolus Nanoparticles and the Environment Series, Part II (click here for Part I) Let’s dive in to a real-world nanotechnology problem raised by one of our readers: should waste composed of nanoparticles, let’s …
The Atomic Difference Between Diamonds and Graphite
by Cathy Murphy Everything is made of atoms. Usually these atoms are strongly connected to one another, in an amazing variety of configurations. But atoms are so tiny, how can we possibly understand the structure …
The Mystery of the Surface: Your Kitchen Table is Far From Simple
by Ariane Vartanian The last time I played with Google Street View, I saw my car in the driveway and could practically count the teeth on a jack o’ lantern on my porch. I thought, …
How to Avoid Bitter Coffee and Why it Exists in the First Place – a scientific look at brewing
by Marco Torelli Coffee. Not only can it be used in scientific experiments, but every day the delectable flavors derived from the humble coffee bean wake up and fuel a substantial proportion of the population. …