Making “Connections” with Nano-Technology
Subject Area(s): Engineering 101; Algebra II Honors; Pre-Calculus, Physics
Associated Unit: Matter/Energy
Lesson Title: Making “Connections” with Nano-technology
Image 1: a) SEM image of tin oxide coated silicon dioxide spheres; b) TEM image of the hollow tin oxide
spheres.
ADA Description: The image shows half micron magnified spheres
Source: Read more: Using nanotechnology to improve Li-ion battery performance
http://www.nanowerk.com
Grade Level: 8th through 12th
Lesson # 1 of 1
Lesson Dependency:
Time Required: 2 class periods or 1 block period
Summary:
In this lesson, students will understand how the electrical properties of materials are different at
the nanoscale. The essential principle of Nanotechnology is based on the ratio of surface area to
volume. Nanoscale materials have larger surface area per mass of material. This translates into a
greater amount of material in direct contact with each other, thus reducing the gaps (space)
between particles while simultaneously increasing the electrical conductivity. The investigation
consists of determining the relationship between the resistance of touching graphite circles
(particles) covering the same fixed area and the dimensions of the particles (size of each circle).
These circles must be tangent (adjacent) to each other and completely colored with graphite pencil.
Engineering Connection:
The future of cell phones, hybrid cars, and renewable energy depends on more powerful batteries
that can recharge, and hold a greater charge while remaining compact and biodegradable.
Engineers from universities around the world are constantly designing and researching the
performance of nanoparticles in order to build the next generation of electric batteries.
Engineering Category:
1. Relating science and/or math concepts to engineering
Keywords: Conductivity, Resistance, Ohms, nano, nano-particles, battery, lithium, lithiumion, graphite, area, surface area, volume, mass, tangent
Educational Standards (List 2-4)
State STEM Standard
MAFS.912.N-Q.1.2 Define appropriate quantities for the purpose of descriptive modeling
MAFS.912. Discovering ratios that exist between the number of tangent points and the discovered
resistance of the area.
MAFS.912.A-CED.1.3 Represent constraints by equations or inequalities, and by systems of
equations and/or inequalities, and interpret solutions as viable or non-viable options in a modeling
context.
MAFS.912.A-CED.1.4 Rearrange formulas to highlight a quantity of interest, using the same
reasoning as in solving equations. For example, rearrange Ohm’s law V = IR to highlight resistance
R.
MAFS.912.A-REI.1.1 Explain each step in solving a simple equation as following from the equality of
numbers asserted at the previous step, starting from the assumption that the original equation has
a solution. Construct a viable argument to justify a solution method.
MAFS.912.A-REI.1.2 Solve simple rational and radical equations in one variable, and give examples
showing how extraneous solutions may arise.
MAFS.K12.MP.1.1 Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. Mathematically
proficient students check their answers to problems using a different method, and they continually
ask themselves, “Does this make sense?” They can understand the approaches of others to solving
complex problems and identify correspondences between different approaches.
MAFS.K12.MP.4.1 Model with mathematics. Mathematically proficient students can apply the
mathematics they know to solve problems arising in everyday life, society, and the workplace. They
routinely interpret their mathematical results in the context of the situation and reflect on whether
the results make sense, possibly improving the model if it has not served its purpose
LAFS.910.W.1.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas.
LAFS.K12.SL.2.4 Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can
follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task,
purpose, and audience.
NGSS Standard (strongly recommended)
Design, build, and refine a device that works within given constraints to convert one form of energy
into another form of energy.
Plan and conduct an investigation to gather evidence to compare the structure of substances at the
bulk scale to infer the strength of electrical forces between particles.
ITEEA Standard
Standard 1. Students will develop an understanding of the characteristics and scope of technology.
Standard 2. Students will develop an understanding of the core concepts of technology.
Standard 3. Students will develop an understanding of the relationships among technologies and
the connections between technology and other fields of study.
Standard 8. Students will develop an understanding of the attributes of design.
Standard 9. Students will develop an understanding of engineering design.
Standard 10. Students will develop an understanding of the role of troubleshooting, research and
development, invention and innovation, and experimentation in problem solving
Prerequisite Knowledge:
In science, students should have a basic understanding of electricity, electro conductive materials
and non-conductive materials.
In math, students should have an understanding of area and tangents.
Learning Objectives:
After the lesson, students should be able to:
● Describe the relationship between surface area and particle size
● Measure the resistivity of a material with the use of a multimeter
● Calculate the resistivity of a conductive material depending on its length and cross-sectional
area of a wire for a specific material.
Introduction / Motivation:
As a homework the previous class, the students need complete the pre-assessment worksheet as a
way to review the prerequisite knowledge and assess the students understanding.
The teacher will have prepared different paper circuits with batteries and LED’s and show the
results to the students. There will be instances in which the circuits will be intermittent. If it does
not happen make sure it does. Make sure the students notice the intermittence but do not address
the issue yet (if you are not sure how to create a paper circle see the youtube video located in the
Additional Multimedia Support section of this lesson) .
The students will be distributed the materials and instructed to color in the first three sets of
circles and outline all the lines of the worksheet with pencil (the activity yields better results if the
circles are colored using soft graphite pencils). After, the students will be asked to measure the
resistance of each set of circles from test point to test point and record the results in a table (see
assessment section). The students are then asked to create a graph with the results. Each group will
present their results and explain what is happening.
After the presentations a discussion is to be generated where the students will be guided to
understand the importance of having a good connection inside electronics components. The
discussion should be guided to talk about the relationship between surface area, number of
contacts and amount of resistivity.
Lesson Background & Concepts for Teachers:
The following information was taken from the “Fizzy Nano Challenge” a lesson plan published by
TryEngineering: Imagine being able to observe the motion of a red blood cell as it moves through
your vein. What would it be like to observe the sodium and chlorine atoms as they get close enough
to actually transfer electrons and form a salt crystal or observe the vibration of molecules as the
temperature rises in a pan of water? Because of tools or 'scopes' that have been developed and
improved over the last few decades we can observe situations like many of the examples at the start
of this paragraph. This ability to observe, measure and even manipulate materials at the molecular
or atomic scale is called nanotechnology or nanoscience. If we have a nano "something" we have
one billionth of that something. Scientists and engineers apply the nano prefix to many
"somethings" including meters (length), seconds (time), liters (volume) and grams (mass) to
represent what is understandably a very small quantity. Most often nano is applied to the length
scale and we measure and talk about nanometers (nm). Individual atoms are smaller than 1 nm in
diameter, with it taking about 10 hydrogen atoms in a row to create a line 1 nm in length. Other
atoms are larger than hydrogen but still have diameters less than a nanometer. A typical virus is
about 100 nm in diameter and a bacterium is about 1000 nm head to tail. The tools or new "scopes"
that have allowed us to observe the previously invisible world of the nanoscale are the Atomic
Force Microscope and the Scanning Electron Microscope.
The scanning electron microscope is a special type of electron microscope that creates images of a
sample surface by scanning it with a high-energy beam of electrons in a raster scan pattern. In a
raster scan, an image is cut up into a sequence of (usually horizontal) strips known as "scan lines."
The electrons interact with the atoms that make up the sample and produce signals that provide
data about the surface's shape, composition, and even whether it can conduct electricity.
At the nanoscale basic properties of particles may vary significantly from larger particles. This
might include mechanical properties, whether the particle conducts electricity, how it reacts to
temperature changes, and even how chemical reactions occur. Surface area is one of the factors that
changes as particles are smaller. Because chemical reactions usually take place on the surface of a
particle, if there is an increased surface area available for reactions, the reaction can be very
different.
The following information was taken from the article “Nanoparticles for improved electrical
conductivity” by Martin Grolms from www.MaterialViews.com: Flexible displays, cost-efficient solar
cells for a new era of energy production, futuristic lighting at home – all require thin layers with
specific properties. Scientists at the INM – Leibniz Institute for New Materials are exploring new
routes to such coatings in the project “NanoSPEKT”.
They are aiming at flexible and transparent coatings that conduct electricity particularly well. The
researchers combine inorganic nanoparticles with polymers and rationally arrange the particles
inside the composite. The research will lead to particle-containing inks and coating methods that
yield thin films with improved properties at lower cost.
It is already possible to coat large areas with conductive films, for example using so-called “roll-toroll” production methods. The scientists at INM will use compatible methods to enable cost-efficient
large-scale production. They study how the particles change in the composite during processing. “If
we manage to pack the conductive nanoparticles more closely, the electrical conductivity of the film
increases,” says the group leader. This may be achieved by gently sintering the particles inside the
polymer.
“NanoSPEKT” is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with 2.5 million
euros. As a project in the framework of the funding initiative “NanoMatFutur” of the BMBF,
“NanoSPEKT” will be initially supported for four years, a period that can be extended.
The funding initiative “NanoMatFutur” is part of the framework program “Materials Innovations for
Industry and Society” (WING). WING combines traditional materials research with research on
chemical technologies and materials-specific nanotechnology. It is part of the High-tech Strategy of
the Federal Government.
Vocabulary / Definitions
Conductivity: A measure of a materials ability to conduct electricity (mobility of electrons)
Resistance: A measure of a materials ability to inhibit the free movement of electrons.
Ohms: The standard unit of electrical resistance in the International System of Units (SI),
formally defined to be the electrical resistance between two points of a conductor.
Nano: A prefix meaning one billionth (1/1 000 000 000).
Nanotechnology: Areas of technology where dimensions and tolerances in the range of 0.1nm to
100nm play a critical role.
Battery: a container consisting of one or more cells, in which chemical energy is converted into
electricity and used as a source of power.
Lithium: the chemical element of atomic number 3, a soft silver-white metal. It is the lightest of the
alkali metals.
Lithium-Ion: A rechargeable battery with twice the energy capacity of a Nickel-Cadmium battery
and greater stability and safety.
Graphite: made almost entirely of carbon atoms, and as with diamond, is a semimetal native
element mineral.
Area: The amount of space inside the boundary of a flat (2-dimensional) object such as a triangle or
circle.
Surface area: The total area of the surface of a three-dimensional object.
Volume: The amount of 3-dimensional space an object occupies.
Mass: A measure of how much matter (stuff) is in an object.
Tangent: A line that just touches a curve at one point, without cutting across it.
Associated Activities
Does Contact Area Matter?
Using the same method for measuring friction that was used in the previous lesson (Discovering
Friction), students design and conduct experiments to determine if the amount of area over which
an object contacts a surface it is moving across affects the amount of friction encountered.
Fun with Nanotechnology
Through three teacher-led demonstrations, students are shown samplers of real-world
nanotechnology applications involving ferrofluids, quantum dots and gold nanoparticles. This
nanomaterials engineering lesson introduces practical applications for nanotechnology and some
scientific principles related to such applications. It provides students with a first-hand
understanding of how nanotechnology and nanomaterials really work. Through the interactive
demos, their interest is piqued about the odd and intriguing nano-materials behaviors they witness,
which engages them to next conduct the three fun associated nanoscale technologies activities. The
demos use materials readily available if supplies are handy for the three associated activities.
How Big?
Students teams determine the size of the caverns necessary to house the population of the state of
Alabraska from the impending asteroid impact. They measure their classroom to determine area
and volume, determine how many people the space could sleep, and scale this number up to
accommodate all Alabraskans. They work through problems on a worksheet and perform math
conversions between feet/meters and miles/kilometers.
Lesson Closure
HDMI Buckypaper Nanotechnology Video
Assessment
Pre-Assessment: Pre-lesson worksheet
Post Introduction Assessment:
Radius
Area of the Circle
Area of the Rectangle
# of contacts
1) How is surface area affected as the number of circles increases?
2) How is the number of contacts affected as the number of circles increases?
Resistance
3) How is the resistance affected as the number of circles increases?
4) Why do you think the resistance changes when the number of circles increases?
Homework:
Resistance Report Worksheet
Radius
Area of the Circle
Area of the Rectangle
# of contacts
Resistance
1) How is surface area affected as the number of circles increases?
2) How is the number of contacts affected as the number of circles increases?
3) How is the resistance affected as the number of circles increases?
4) Why do you think the resistance changes when the number of circles increases?
5) Provide examples of the uses nano technology. Be prepared to list your sources.
Lesson Extension Activities
Create a series circuit using a battery, a bulb and the paper as a resistance. Students are to explain
why is there is a notable change in the candescence (brightness) of the bulb.
Additional Multimedia Support: Youtube video Paper Circuit!
(http://youtu.be/BwKQ9Idq9FM).
References
Fizzy Nano Challenge. (n.d.). TryEngineering Today. Retrieved July 23, 2014, from
http://tryengineering.org/lesson-plans/fizzy-nano-challenge
State University. (2011, September 23). Buckypaper: Unlocking the power of
nanotechnology.YouTube. Retrieved July 23, 2014, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRMiQRiK5GY
HouseholdHacker. (2011, September 21). Paper Circuit!. YouTube. Retrieved July 23, 2014, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwKQ9Idq9FM&feature=youtu.be
Martin, G. (2013, October 30). Nanoparticles for improved electrical conductivity. MaterialsViews.
Retrieved July 23, 2014, from http://www.materialsviews.com/nanoparticles-for-improvedelectrical-conductivity/
Attachments
Circles Worksheet
Contributors
Loris Carter, Natalia Goderich, Bernard Johnson, Willy Orozco
Supporting Program:
Research Experience for Teachers(RET), Florida International University
Dr. Masoud Milani, Dr. Bilal El-Zahab, Dr. Neil Pala
Acknowledgements
Dr. Masoud Milani, Stephanie Strange, Kerlyn Prada, Dr. Sakhrat Khizroev, Neil Ricks