Some of these demos were purchased and have links to very professional write
ups on presentation. The others were researched and created by students.
Invisibility/ Index of Refraction
Time: 7-10 minutes
Ages: Varies
Learning Goal: Light travels at different speeds in different materials.
Description: Show how index matching can “cloak” objects
NANO: Though index matching is not directly nano, engineers are using nanotechnology to
engineer to create materials that interact with light in a special way. Metamaterials are
being used for cloaking in the IR and many people are working on cloaking in the optical
range.
http://www.nisenet.org/catalog/programs/exploring_properties_-_invisibility
Demonstration video is under resources
Total Internal Reflection
Time: 7-10 minutes
Ages: Varies
Description: Explain how materials have different indexes of refraction and how a difference
between them can create cool phenomena like TIR.
NANO: TIR relates to nano by the guiding of light through really small channels. Scientists
are working to “embed” fiber optics into nano-scale devices for use of computers.
Computers are trying to transition from electrical to optical signals so it can be super fast!
Equipment (per set):
 Water in a tub
 Corn syrup in a tub
 Laser pointer
 Fiber optic demo
 Pencil/Straw in water
 protractor
Mini-activity explanation
 Explain how materials have refractive index. Bigger refractive index means light
travels slower. Light “bends”. This is why the pencil/straw looks bent.
 TIR: If light goes from a high to a low n material, it sometimes gets trapped. This is
called a critical angle and is why certain things can guide. Show how water-air
guides it but waiter-plastic/glass does not.
 index
o air 1
o water 1.33
o pyrex glass, wesson cooking oil 1.474
o 1.49 for polypropylene and 1.51 for polyethylene


Water-air - 50 degrees
Corn Syrup - Air - 42 degrees
Diffraction
Time: 7-10 minutes
Ages: Varies
Learning Goal: Light behaves as a wave and interference causes patterns.
Description: Demonstrate diffraction principles to students. Show
NANO: Nano related because diffraction occurs when light hits a very small object.
Equipment (per set):
 Single pinhole for circular diffraction pattern -- older students
 CD with a bunch of holes for squared diffraction pattern -- older students
 Rainbow peepholes
 Laser pointer
 CD, DVD- 400 nm pits, Blu-Ray 150nm pits
Mini-activity explanation
 CDs act as a diffraction grating ie split light into many pieces
o Shine whitelight for rainbow via reflection
o Shine laser pointer for use as a reflection grating (here)
o Shine laser pointer for diffraction grating via transmission (here)
 Rainbow peepholes show how white light splits into many colors (ROYGBIV)
Polarization
Time: 7- 10 minutes
Ages: Varies
Description: Show how light has polarized parts
NANO: Nano related because polarization is used to determine things
Equipment (per set):
 2 Linear Polarizers
 Cornsyrup
 tub for cornsyrup
 White flashlight
 Laptop Screen or LCD
 Also add birefringence
Mini-activity explanation
 Show how your computer screen dims until it entirely disappears as you rotate the
polarizer. Explain how you are blocking out the light. Polarized sunglasses do the
same thing.
 Put cornsyrup in a tub and shine a flashlight through one side with a polarizer. Have
kids look through other side with polarizers and rotate it to see the colors change.
Cornsyrup rotates the polarization of the light wave.
 Photoelasticity could be added if time
Reflection Filters
Try this!
1. Examine the blue and yellow butterflies. Try tilting the
case to see the butterflies from different angles. And be
sure to look at both the front and back!
2. Shine the light through the butterflies, holding the light
underneath the case. Do the butterflies look the same
with the light passing through them?
Tip: Squeeze the mini-light to turn it on.
What’s going on?
When you turn on the light, the yellow butterfly stays yellow, but the blue
butterfly turns brown! That’s because the yellow color comes from
pigment, but the blue is created by the interference of light bouncing off
tiny nanostructures.
The Blue Morpho’s wings have very small overlapping scales covered with
tiny “ribs.” The size and arrangement of these nanostructures makes the
wings look blue—but they’re actually transparent! There’s an air space of
a few nanometers between the ribs. Light waves bouncing off the top and
bottom surfaces of neighboring ribs interfere with each other. Most light
waves are cancelled by the interference and only certain wavelengths—
seen as colors—bounce back to your eyes. So when you look at the front
of the butterfly, it’s a beautiful, iridescent blue.
Light reflecting off the wings
When the bright light passes through the Blue Morpho’s wings, the effect
is lost and you see the wings’ brown undersides. The back side of the
wings is colored by pigment—so the brown side always looks brown.
Light passing through the wings
How is this nano?
The way a material behaves on the macroscale is affected by its structure on the nanoscale.
Nanotechnology takes advantage of different material properties at the nanoscale to make new
materials and tiny devices smaller than 100 nanometers in size. (A nanometer is a billionth of a meter.)
Nanotechnology allows scientists and engineers to make things like smaller,
faster computer chips and new medicines to treat diseases like cancer.
Low-energy display
Some nanotechnology and nanomaterials are inspired by nature. Scientists
are working on new nanotechnologies that mimic the Blue Morpho’s wings.
They’ve already invented low-energy smartphone displays, paints, and
fabrics that change color by changing the spacing between materials.
Learning objectives
1. The way a material behaves on the macroscale is affected by its properties on the nanoscale.
2. Some nanotechnologies are inspired by nature.
Materials



Butterflies in protective case
Mini-light
“Blue Morpho Butterfly” image sheet
Blue Morpho and Buttercup butterflies mounted in an acrylic case are available at
www.butterflyutopia.com.
Mini-lights (extra-bright LEDs) are available from www.teachersource.com.
Notes to the presenter
If you’re doing this activity near a bright window or other light source, the mini-light may not be
effective. You might be able to hold the butterfly up to the window or light source to get the same
effect (and not use the mini-light at all), or you might need to relocate the activity to a less brightly
lit area.
Extension
Visitors can experiment further by dropping alcohol onto a Blue Morpho butterfly wing. The alcohol fills
up the spaces between the nanoscale structures of the wings, so they reflect green light waves rather
than blue light waves. When the alcohol evaporates, the wings look blue again.
Related educational resources
The NISE Network online catalog (www.nisenet.org/catalog) contains additional resources to introduce
visitors to light and color at the nanoscale, and connections between nanotechnology and nature:

Public programs include Biomimicry: Synthetic Gecko Tape through Nanomolding; Colors at the
Nanoscale: Butterflies, Beetles and Opals; DNA Nanotechnology; Lotus Leaf Effect; and
Nanoparticle Stained Glass, Sand, Plants and Pants.

NanoDays activities include Exploring Materials—Liquid Crystals, Exploring Materials—Nano
Gold, Exploring Materials—Thin Films, Exploring Products—Nano Fabric, Exploring Products—
Sunblock, and Exploring Structures—DNA.

Media include Multimedia Zoom into a Nasturtium Leaf, Zoom into the Blue Morpho Butterfly,
and Zoom into a Butterfly Wing.

Exhibits include Bump and Roll, Changing Colors, and Unexpected Properties.
Credits and rights
Image of structures in Blue Morpho wing courtesy S. Yoshioka, Osaka University.
Images of Blue Morpho wing with reflected and nonreflected light courtesy F. Nijhout, Duke University.
Low-energy display photo courtesy Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
This project was supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No. 0940143.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program are those of
the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.
Copyright 2011, Sciencenter, Ithaca, NY. Published under a Creative Commons AttributionNoncommercial-ShareAlike license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/.
UV Beads
Time: 7-10 minutes
Ages: Varies
Learning Goal: the absorption of UV light can alter the properties of a material
Description: Show how UV beads can change color when exposed to UV light, you can
also show how sunscreen can “protect” the bead and stop the color change.
http://www.nisenet.org/sites/default/files/catalog/uploads/11095/propertiesuv_guide_01nov2
012.pdf