Nanotechnology: the next big idea
Week 2: History
Maryse de la Giroday
6-week course
SFU Liberal Arts & Adults 55+ program
Certificate students
• For each course, you'll complete a short, typed, doublespaced essay of four to six pages (1,000–1,500 words).
Rather than an overview of what the course covered, your
essay should be a thoughtful and personal response to one
or both of the following questions:
• How did this course contribute to your appreciation and
knowledge of the subject?
• How, and in what way, did this course change your way of
thinking?
• (http://www.sfu.ca/continuing-studies/programs/seniorscertificate-liberal-arts/program-structure.html
Getting copies of the slide deck from
frogheart.ca
• I will be using the course number, SCFC861, in
the head for the blog posting with the slides
and ‘notes’
– Frogheart.ca
– e.g. Simon Fraser University –
SCFC861Nanotechnology, The Next Big Idea:
course Week 1
• I advise using the blog’s search engine
Review of last week
• Size/scale
• Nano = billionth
• Graphene/carbon
nanotubes/buckminsterfullerenes = carbon
materials
Swiss Cross (Swiss flag)
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Switzerland
Nanoscopy & colour
• The centre image shows lysosome membranes and is one of the first ones
taken by Betzig using single-molecule microscopy. To the left, the same
image taken using conventional microscopy. To the right, the image of the
membranes has been enlarged. Note the scale division of 0.2
micrometres, equivalent to Abbe’s diffraction limit. Image: Science
313:1642–1645. (http://www.frogheart.ca/?p=14830)
Graphene & 3D printing
• Oct. 22, 2014 n/r : Graphene 3D Lab Inc. to
Present 3D Printed Graphene Battery [on Oct.
23, 2014]
• http://www.graphene3dlab.com/s/news.asp?Rep
ortID=679892&_Type=News&_Title=Graphene3D-Lab-Inc.-to-Present-3D-Printed-GrapheneBattery
• Graphene Lab Inc.
(http://www.graphene3dlab.com/s/home.asp)
Nanotechnology applications
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Environment
Energy
Health
Fashion
Electronics
Visual art/music/dance
Prosthetics
Biomimicry
Environment: mesocosm project at
Duke University (1 of 3)
• From the article, Ecosystem experiments to assess the
environmental impact of nanoparticles, by Whitney J.
Howell published November 25, 2010 on Nanowerk,
•
Deep inside Duke Forest, 32 alternate universes sit in
quiet rows. They look identical – each with a puddle, some
land, a few plants.
•
But wholly imperceptible to the naked eye, these plots
have distinct and important differences.
•
The realms, known as mesocosms, house individual types
of nanoparticles as part of a research effort conducted by
the Center for the Environmental Implications of Nano
Technology (CEINT) based at Duke University
Environment: mesocosm project at
Duke University (2 of 3)
• Each waist-high, 3-foot-by-12-foot box contains
nanoparticles coated with a different substance, such as
titanium dioxide or silver. By following the coating’s trail
through the mesocosm, Wiesner said, researchers can
pinpoint how the nanoparticles either positively or
negatively alter their surroundings and at what levels they
might become toxic.
• For example, nanosilver has anti-microbial properties and
could be a powerful disinfectant. But if high concentrations
of the particles wipe out all surrounding bacteria and
viruses – even those that may be benign or beneficial – the
effects on plants and animals are unknown.
(http://www.frogheart.ca/?p=2487 Aug. 15, 2011)
Environment: mesocosm project at
Duke University (3 of 3)
• Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in Duke’s mesocosm
• The results indicate little risk to humans ingesting the
particles through drinking water, say scientists at
Duke’s Center for the Environmental Implications of
Nanotechnology (CEINT). But the researchers warn
that, based on their previous research, the tendency
for the nanotubes to accumulate in sediment could
indirectly damage the aquatic food chain in the long
term if the nanoparticles provide “Trojan horse”
piggyback rides to other harmful molecules. [emphases
mine in http://www.frogheart.ca/?p=14770 re: Oct. 1,
2014 n/r]
Environment: water-cleaning
technology from Mexico (1 of 2)
• The methods traditionally used to remove heavy
metals from wastewater have limitations because they
only withdraw a certain percentage and the remaining
amount is very difficult to remove. ...
•
According to Monter Ramirez [Gabriel], ... led him to
design some structures called dendrimers, which are
highly branched molecules with shape similar to a
shrub or a tree with multiple branches.
•
“Dendrimers adhere and spread on a microfiltration
membrane; ie, thin sheets of porous material that are
not normally capable of retaining heavy metals due to
pore size.
Environment: water-cleaning
technology from Mexico (2 of 2)
• Once placed, it achieves total removal of heavy metal
ions in the same way a marine anemone would act,
using tentacles to concentrate and catch food; in this
case, the branches of the dendrimers capture
pollutants, “says the researcher.
• He explains that through dendrimers the team
converted a microfiltration membrane into a
nanofiltration one. “Another advantage of these
structures is that they can be washed and reused, plus
the captured metals are removed without problem.”
• http://www.frogheart.ca/?p=13659 (June 6, 2014;
video)
Energy in Alberta (1 of 2)
• University of Calgary post
(http://www.frogheart.ca/?p=14913) Oct. 20,
2014
• A world-leading nanotechnology researcher
has come to Canada’s energy capital to
become the first Canada Excellence Research
Chair (CERC) at the University of Calgary.
Energy in Alberta (2 of 2)
• Bryant says Alberta’s oilsands are a key
resource for meeting the world’s energy
demands and the status quo is not acceptable.
• “There is a huge desire to extract this energy
resource with less environmental impact and,
we think, conceivably even zero-impact,
because of some of the cool things that are
becoming possible with nanotechnology,” says
Bryant.
Energy: solar cells (1 of 2)
• There’s no mention as to whether or not Dr
Niraj Lal practices any form of meditation or
how he came across Tibetan Buddhist singing
bowls but somehow he was inspired by them
when studying for his PhD at Cambridge
University (UK).
Energy: solar cells (2 of 2)
• Dr Niraj Lal, of the Australian National
University, found during his PhD at the
University of Cambridge, that small nano-sized
versions of Buddhist singing bowls resonate
with light in the same way as they do with
sound, and he’s applied this shape to solar
cells to increase their ability to capture more
light and convert it into electricity.
(http://www.frogheart.ca/?p=14554)
Health: monitoring (1 of 4)
• The team – led by Professor of Chemical Physics
at Trinity, Jonathan Coleman, one of the world’s
leading nanoscientists – infused rubber bands
with graphene, a nano-material derived from
pencil lead which is 10,000 times smaller than
the width of a human hair. This process is simple
and compatible with normal manufacturing
techniques. While rubber does not normally
conduct electricity, the addition of graphene
made the rubber bands electrically conductive
without degrading the mechanical properties of
the rubber.
Health: monitoring (2 of 4)
• Tests showed that any electrical current
flowing through the graphene-infused rubber
bands was very strongly affected if the band
was stretched. As a result, if the band is
attached to clothing, the tiniest movements
such as breath and pulse can be sensed.
• http://www.frogheart.ca/?p=14441 Aug.
20,2014
Health: monitoring with gold
nanoparticles (3 of 4)
• In less than a minute (the usual is 30 mins.), a miniature device
developed at the University of Montreal can measure a patient’s
blood for methotrexate, a commonly used but potentially toxic
cancer drug. Just as accurate and ten times less expensive than
equipment currently used in hospitals
Health: monitoring with gold
nanoparticles (4 of 4)
• Roughly, [the device] measures the concentration
of serum (or blood) methotrexate through gold
nanoparticles on the surface of a receptacle. In
“competing” with methotrexate to block the
enzyme, the gold nanoparticles change the colour
of the light detected by the instrument. And the
colour of the light detected reflects the exact
concentration of the drug in the blood sample.
• Oct. 27, 2014 announcement in:
http://www.frogheart.ca/?p=15004
Fashion
• Catalytic clothing: ... an art/science
collaboration between Professor Helen Storey
at the London College of Fashion and
Professor Tony Ryan, a scientist at the
University of Sheffield.
• http://www.frogheart.ca/?p=3927 (video)
Fashion: malaria-repellent (1 of 3)
Fashion: malaria-repellent (2 of 3)
• Boscia gives details,
– The colorful garment, fashioned by Matilda Ceesay
’13, an FSAD apparel design major from Gambia,
debuted at the Cornell Fashion Collective spring
fashion show April 28 [2012] on campus. It consists of
an underlying one-piece bodysuit, hand-dyed in
purple, gold and blue, and a mesh hood and cape
containing the repellant. The outfit is one of six in
Ceesay’s collection, which she said “explores and
modernizes traditional African silhouettes and textiles
by embracing the strength and sexuality of the
modern woman.”
Fashion: malaria-repellent (3 of 3)
• Ceesay and Ochanda, who works with FSAD
Associate Professor Juan Hinestroza, partnered
with Laurie Lange, graduate student in Professor
Kay Obendorf’s lab, to refine the process for
capturing insecticides on the MOF-coated cloth.
Hinestroza called the resulting garment
“fashionable and functional, with the potential to
create a new generation of durable and effective
insecticide mosquito protection nets.”
http://www.frogheart.ca/?p=6773 May 15, 2012
Fashion: a $20,000 CNT-infused suit
• Toronto-based luxury bespoke tailoring house Garrison
Bespoke will launch the first fashion-forward bulletproof
suit tomorrow with a live ammo field-testing event at the
Ajax Rod and Gun Club at 11:00 am EST in Ontario (Nov.
2013; http://www.frogheart.ca/?p=11568)
Visual art (1 of 2)
Visual art (2 of 2)
• Needle woman by Kimsooja
• Kimsooja’s 46-foot-tall structure features an
iridescent polymer film developed at Cornell,
reflecting light with structural colors similar to
those in a butterfly’s wings. Creating it involved
some diligent problem-solving by materials
scientists in the lab of Uli Wiesner, the Spencer T.
Olin Professor of Engineering.
• http://www.frogheart.ca/?p=14603 Sept. 15,
2014
Music: spiderwebs and math
• Using a new mathematical methodology,
researchers at MIT have created a scientifically
rigorous analogy that shows the similarities
between the physical structure of spider silk
and the sonic structure of a melody, proving
that the structure of each relates to its
function in an equivalent way.
• http://www.frogheart.ca/?p=5332 Dec. 9,
2011
Dance
• Oct. 16 – 18, 2014 are the Vancouver (Canada)
dates when you can catch Compagnie Gilles Jobin
performing its piece, Quantum, based on
choreographer Gilles Jobin’s residency CERN
(Europe’s particle physics laboratory). The
Vancouver stop is part of a world tour which
seems to have started in New York City (US) and
San Francisco (US).
• http://www.frogheart.ca/?p=14880 Oct. 15, 2014
• http://www.frogheart.ca/?p=14888 Oct. 16,2014
Prosthetics/human enhancement (1 of
3)
• Artificial skin that can sense as if it were real skin
isn’t here yet but scientists at Technion-Israel
Institute of Technology have created a flexible
sensor that could fulfill that promise. From a July
9, 2013 news item on Azonano,
• Using tiny gold particles and a kind of resin, a
team of scientists at the Technion-Israel Institute
of Technology has discovered how to make a new
kind of flexible sensor that one day could be
integrated into electronic skin, or e-skin.
Prosthetics/human enhancement (2 of
3)
• If scientists learn how to attach e-skin to
prosthetic limbs, people with amputations
might once again be able to feel changes in
their environments. The findings appear in the
June issue of ACS Applied Materials &
Interfaces.
http://www.frogheart.ca/?p=10622 July 9,
2013
Prosthetics/human enhancement (3 of
3)
• For the first time, robotic prostheses controlled via
implanted neuromuscular interfaces have become a
clinical reality. A novel osseointegrated (boneanchored) implant system gives patients new
opportunities in their daily life and professional
activities.
• In January 2013 a Swedish arm amputee was the first
person in the world to receive a prosthesis with a
direct connection to bone, nerves and muscles.
• http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/201410/cuot-mpa100214.php
• http://www.frogheart.ca/?p=14845
Biomimicry/bioinspired/biomimetics
• The most studied butterfly wing is the blue
morpho as per Kimsooja art piece for Cornell
• http://www.frogheart.ca/?p=5551 blue
morpho video
• or Landrock blue morpho by veritasium video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc2ZMcch
B58
• Nature is being studied as never before
Nano, not as new as you might think
• Leucippus may have been Democritus’ teacher or
may have never existed
• Democritus ((5th century BCE in Greece)
• Devised an atomistic theory or passed it on from Leucippus
• The laughing or sarcastic philosopher
• Many consider Democritus to be the "father of modern science"
• Epicurus
• Natural Philosophy
• (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leucippus [and]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democritus)
Reverse engineering
• What is it?
• Biomimicry could be described as reverse
engineering
• Let’s go back to the Romans
Example of reverse engineering
• Roman concrete
– Roman concrete, also called opus caementicium,
was a material used in construction during the
late Roman Republic through the whole history of
the Roman Empire. Roman concrete was based on
a hydraulic-setting cement with many material
qualities similar to modern portland cement.
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_concrete
Rome’s Pantheon & Oculus (1 of 3)
Rome’s Pantheon & Oculus (2 of 3)
• Built in the 2nd century A.D., Rome's Pantheon is
still the largest unreinforced concrete dome in
the world. (Credit: iStockphoto.com)
• In continuous use since 126 AD (CE; common era)
• http://www.history.com/news/the-secrets-ofancient-roman-concrete
• Oculus: a circular opening in the centre of a dome
or in a wall
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oculus
Rome’s Pantheon & Oculus (3 of 3)
• The Pantheon ... is a building in Rome, Italy,
commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of
Augustus (27 BC - 14 AD) and rebuilt by the emperor
Hadrian about 126 AD.
• The building is circular with a portico of large granite
Corinthian columns (eight in the first rank and two
groups of four behind) under a pediment. A
rectangular vestibule links the porch to the rotunda,
which is under a coffered concrete dome, with a
central opening (oculus) to the sky.
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheon,_Rome
History of cement (1 of 2)
• The secret of Roman success in making
cement was traced to the mixing of slaked
lime with pozzolana, a volcanic ash from
Mount Vesuvius. This process produced a
cement capable of hardening under water.
During the Middle Ages this art was lost …
History of cement (2 of 2)
• In 1824, Joseph Aspdin, a bricklayer and mason
in Leeds, England, took out a patent on a
hydraulic cement that he called portland cement
because its color resembled the stone quarried
on the Isle of Portland off the British coast.
Aspdin's method involved the careful
proportioning of limestone and clay, pulverizing
them, and burning the mixture into clinker, which
was then ground into finished cement.
(http://www.rumford.com/articlemortar.html)
When did they successfully reverseengineer Roman concrete? (1 of 4)
• Portland cement (the most common modern
concrete blend) lacks the lime-volcanic ash
combination, and doesn’t bind well compared
with Roman concrete.
• Portland cement, in use for almost two centuries,
tends to wear particularly quickly in seawater,
with a service life of less than 50 years. Also, the
production of Portland cement produces a sizable
amount of carbon dioxide, one of the most
damaging of the so-called greenhouse gases.
When did they successfully reverseengineer Roman concrete? (2 of 4)
• In addition to being more durable than
Portland cement, …, Roman concrete also
appears to be more sustainable to produce. To
manufacture Portland cement, carbon is
emitted by the burning fuel used to heat a mix
of limestone and clays to 1,450 degrees
Celsius (2,642 degrees Fahrenheit) as well as
by the heated limestone (calcium carbonate)
itself
When did they successfully reverseengineer Roman concrete? (3 of 4)
• . To make their concrete, Romans used much
less lime, and made it from limestone baked
at 900 degrees Celsius (1,652 degrees
Fahrenheit) or lower, a process that used up
much less fuel.
• Source: http://www.history.com/news/thesecrets-of-ancient-roman-concrete (reverse
engineering of Roman concrete announced
June 2013)
When did they successfully reverseengineer Roman concrete? (4 of 4)
• Over the past decade, researchers from Italy and
the U.S. have analyzed 11 harbors in the
Mediterranean basin where, in many cases,
2,000-year-old (and sometimes older)
breakwaters constructed out of Roman concrete
stand perfectly intact despite constant pounding
by the sea.
• http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-0614/ancient-roman-concrete-is-about-torevolutionize-modern-architecture
How did they successfully reverseengineer Roman concrete?
• Technology used for analysis:
– Using beamlines 5.3.2.1, 5.3.2.2, 12.2.2 and 12.3.2 at
Berkeley Lab’s Advanced Light Source (ALS), along
with other experimental facilities at UC Berkeley, the
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in
Saudi Arabia, and the BESSY synchrotron in Germany,
Monteiro and his colleagues investigated maritime
concrete from Pozzuoli Bay. They found that Roman
concrete differs from the modern kind in several
essential ways.
– See more at:
http://newscenter.lbl.gov/2013/06/04/romanconcrete/#sthash.FGCsvJPY.dpuf
What is a synchrotron/light source?
• A synchrotron is a source of brilliant light that scientists can
use to gather information about the structural and
chemical properties of materials at the molecular level.
• A synchrotron produces light by using radio frequency
waves and powerful electro-magnets to accelerate
electrons to nearly the speed of light. Energy is added to
the electrons as they accelerate so that, when the magnets
alter their course, they naturally emit a very brilliant, highly
focused light. Different spectra of light, such as Infrared,
Ultraviolet, and X-rays, are directed down beamlines where
researchers choose the desired wavelength to study their
samples.
• http://www.lightsource.ca/education/whatis.php
Lycurgus Cup
• Named after King Lycurgus of Thrace who’s
depicted on the cup
Lycurgus Cup
•
•
•
•
1600 years old
Made of gold and dichroic glass
Acquired by the British Museum in the 1950s
It took scientists decades to understand why the
colour of the glass changed (1990 according to
http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-historyarchaeology/1600-year-old-goblet-showsromans-used-nanotechnology-00793#!bjfuCU
Sept. 2, 2013 article
Lycurgus Cup
• The Lycurgus Cup represents one of the
outstanding achievements of the ancient glass
industry. This late Roman cut glass vessel is
extraordinary in several respects, firstly in the
method of fabrication and the exceptional
workmanship involved and secondly in terms
of the unusual optical effects displayed by the
glass. (2007 article in the Gold Bulletin can be
found at http://master-mc.ustrasbg.fr/IMG/pdf/lycurgus.pdf)
Lycurgus Cup
• In order to produce the dichroic effect on the
chalice, Roman artisans are believed to have
ground down particles of gold and silver to 50
nanometres in diameter, which is less than onethousandth the size of a grain of table salt, and
then laid these nanoparticles within the glass
before it set.
• When metals are the size of nanoparticles, they
are able to display iridescent colours, which is
what causes the colour to change in the Lycurgus
Cup.
Lycurgus Cup
• While there continue to be scientific debates
about whether the Romans discovered
nanotechnology by accident or whether they
deliberately calculated the size and quantity of
nanoparticles required to make dichroic glass, no
one has been able to replicate the effect, until
now.
• (http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/romans-usednanotechnology-turn-lycurgus-cup-green-red1600-years-ago-1468746 article dated Oct. 6,
2014)
Lycurgus Cup
• Researchers at the University of Cambridge & the
University of Birmingham made a ‘Lycurgus’
breakthrough
• Plasmonic nanoparticle scattering for color
holograms by Yunuen Montelongo, Jaime Oscar
Tenorio-Pearl, Calum Williams, Shuang Zhang,
William Ireland Milne, and Timothy David
Wilkinson. PNAS, Sept. 2, 2014 vol. 111 no. 35
12679–12683, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1405262111
Lycurgus Cup (oops)
• They [researchers University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign] conducted a study last year in which
they created a plastic plate filled with gold or
silver nanoparticles, essentially creating an array
that was equivalent to the Lycurgus Cup. When
they applied different solutions to the plate, such
as water, oil, sugar and salt, the colours changed.
(http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-historyarchaeology/1600-year-old-goblet-showsromans-used-nanotechnology-00793#!bjfuCU )
Lycurgus Cup
• Colorimetric Plasmon Resonance Imaging Using
Nano Lycurgus Cup Arrays by Manas Ranjan
Gartia, Austin Hsiao, Anusha Pokhriyal, Sujin Seo,
Gulsim Kulsharova, Brian T. Cunningham, Tiziana
C. Bond, and Gang Logan Liu1. Advanced Optical
Materials Volume 1, Issue 1, pages 68–76,
January 201 Article first published online: 31 JAN
2013 DOI: 10.1002/adom.201200040
• © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA,
Weinheim
Islamic art (1 of 6)
• Polychrome lustreware bowl, 9th C, Iraq, British Museum (©Trinitat
Pradell 2008)
• 9th-17th Centuries: Glowing, glittering “luster” ceramic glazes used
in the Islamic world, and later in Europe, contained silver or copper
or other metallic nanoparticles. (http://www.nano.gov/timeline_
Islamic art (2 of 6)
• Lustreware is a ceramic decorative technique
invented by 9th century AD Abbasid potters of
the Islamic Civilization, in what is today Iraq.
The potters believed that making lustreware
was truly "alchemy", because the process
involves using a lead-based glaze and silver
and copper paint to create a golden shine on a
pot that contains no gold.
Islamic art (3 of 6)
• The secret to lustreware developed over the centuries,
but was kept within one small group of potters who
traveled together within the Islamic state until the 12th
century, when three separate groups began their own
potteries. One member of the Abu Tahir family of
potters was Abu'l Qasim bin Ali bin Muhammed bin
Abu Tahir. In the 14th century, Abu'l Qasim was a court
historian to the Mongol kings, where he wrote a
number of treatises on various subjects. His best
known work is The Virtues of Jewels and the Delicacies
of Perfume, which included a chapter on ceramics,
and, most importantly, describes part of the recipe for
lustreware.
Islamic art (4 of 6)
• Abu'l Qasim wrote that the successful process
involved painting copper and silver onto glazed
vessels, and then refiring to produce the lustrous
shine. The alchemy--excuse me, the chemistry--of
the lustreware process was identified by a group
of archaeologists and chemists, who reported on
their investigations into the nanomechanics of
lustreware in 2008, in the Journal of
Archaeological Sciences.
(http://archaeology.about.com/od/lterms/qt/lust
reware.htm)
Islamic art (5 of 6)
• Lustre is a nanosized metal-glass composite
made of metal copper and/or silver
nanoparticles embedded in the glassy matrix
(Perez-Arantegui et al., 2001). The metal
particle sizes range between 5 nm and 50 nm
and form a layer of varying thickness of
between 100 nm to 1 μm (Friederick et al.,
2004 and Pérez-Arantegui et al., 2004).
Islamic art (6 of 6)
• The colour and transparency of the layers are due to
the absorption and scattering of light in the layer. A
continuous metal layer is transparent for wavelengths
below a given value (the Plasmon frequency) and
absorbs most of the light for larger wavelengths.
Typically the plasmon frequencies for metals lie in the
ultraviolet, making the metals colourless and opaque,
although for some metals like gold or copper they lie in
the visible, 2.4 eV (520 nm) and 2.1 eV (590 nm)
respectively, giving the characteristic yellow and red
colours.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com.proxy.lib.sfu.ca/science
/article/pii/S0305440307001665)
Medieval cathedrals (1 of 4)
• The South rose window of Notre Dame Cathedral,
ca 1250
Medieval cathedrals (2 of 4)
• 6th-15th Centuries: Vibrant stained glass
windows in European cathedrals owed their
rich colors to nanoparticles of gold chloride
and other metal oxides and chlorides; gold
nanoparticles also acted as photocatalytic air
purifiers. (http://www.nano.gov/timeline)
Stained glass as photocatalytic air
purification (3 of 4)
• Research by a team of chemists led by Professor
Zhu Huai Yong has shown that nanoparticles of
gold, when activated by sunlight, can destroy airborne pollutants such as methanol and other
volatile organic chemicals(VOCs). Such chemicals
are often released from new furniture, carpets,
and even paint in good condition, contributing to
the characteristic 'new' smell, and having adverse
health effects. These compounds could be
removed from the air by Professor Zhu's
purification process, using only sunlight as an
energy source.
Stained glass as photocatalytic air
purification (4 of 4)
• The process works as the sunlight's electromagnetic field
induces a resonance in the oscillations of electrons
associated with the gold nanoparticles. The resultant
amplification of the gold's magnetic field causes pollutants
to degrade.
• Professor Zhu notes that this photocatalytic purification
already occurs in numerous churches throughout Europe,
built in medieval times and decorated with stained glass
windows. Gold was used to create certain tints in the glass
and these particles can still be activated by sunlight.
(Queensland University of Technology;
https://www.qut.edu.au/research/researchprojects/photocatalytic-air-purification)
Damascus steel blades (1 of 6)
• A Damascus saber (photo by Tina Fineberg for
The New York Times).
Damascus steel blades (2 of 6)
• New studies of Damascus swords are revealing that the
legendary blades contain nanowires, carbon
nanotubes, and other extremely small, intricate
structures that might explain their unique features.
• Damascus swords, first made in the eighth century
A.D., are renowned for their complex surface patterns
and sharpness. According to legend, the blades can cut
a piece of silk in half as it falls to the ground and
maintain their edge after cleaving through stone,
metal, or even other swords.
• http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/11/0
61116-nanotech-swords.html
Damascus steel blades (3 of 6)
• … The secret for making the blades died (history does not
record how) about 1700 CE and there hasn’t been a new
blade since.
• The blades were generally made from metal ingots
prepared in India using special recipes which probably put
just the right amount of carbon and other impurities into
the iron. By following these recipes and following specific
forging techniques craftsmen ended up making nanotubes
… When these blades were nearly finished, blacksmiths
would etch them with acid. This brought out the wavy light
and dark lines that make Damascus swords easy to
recognize
• (http://www.frogheart.ca/?p=13885)
Damascus steel blades (4 of 6)
• High-resolution transmission electron microscopy image of
carbon nanotubes in a genuine Damascus sabre after
dissolution in hydrochloric acid, showing remnants of
cementite nanowires encapsulated by carbon nanotubes
(scale bar, 5 nm) (M. Reibold, P. Paufler, A. A. Levin, W.
Kochmann, N. Pätzke & D. C. Meyer, Nature 444, 286,
2006).
Damascus steel blades (5 of 6)
• Although people were capable of making
Damascus steel swords containing ultrahigh
carbon contents (1 wt.%) a long time ago, it is
surprising that almost all modern steels in use
contain C contents below 1 wt.%. However, with
future developments of knowledge and
technology, it is expected that ultrahigh carbon
steels. e.g., Wootz steels, will once again find
important applications, because the best of the
new is often the long-forgotten past.
Damascus steel blades (6 of 6)
• Note from the authors: It would be much
appreciated if anyone would like to donate a
piece of genuine Damascus blade for our
research.
• Corresponding Author：
• LUO Haiwen
Email: haiwenluo@126.com
• (http://www.frogheart.ca/?p=12746)
Golden Japanese nano screens
• Ancient Japanese gold leaf artists were truly
masters of their craft. An analysis of six ancient
Namban paper screens show that these artifacts
are gilded with gold leaf that was hand-beaten to
the nanometer scale. Study leader Sofia Pessanha
of the Atomic Physics Center of the University of
Lisbon in Portugal believes that the X-ray
fluorescence technique her team used in the
analysis could also be used to date other
artworks without causing any damage to them.
(http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/
140702110916.htm)
300,000 year old Russian
nanotechnology (1 of 2)
• An Oopart (out of place artifact) is a term
applied to dozens of prehistoric objects found
in various places around the world that, given
their level of technology, are completely at
odds with their determined age based on
physical, chemical, and/or geological
evidence.
300,000 year old Russian
nanotechnology (2 of 2)
• In 1991, the appearance of extremely tiny, coilshaped artifacts found near the banks of Russia’s
Kozhim, Narada, and Balbanyu rivers brought
about a debate that has continued to this day.
These mysterious and minuscule structures
suggest that there may have been a culture
capable of developing nanotechnology 300,000
years ago.
• http://humansarefree.com/2014/09/the-300000year-old-nanotechnology.html
Yoga as the first nanotechnology
• http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=2674.php (2007 news
item)
• … a talk at Assocham's B2B in Biotechnology & Nanotechnology
summit in India this week.
• In a talk titled "Bridging the gap: Nanohealth" Baba Ramdev, who
calls himself His Holiness Swami Ramdevji Maharaj, allegedly said
that "using yoga to treat a disease is just another example of using
nanotechnology in medicine".
• Stretching even further, he said: "Just as nanotechnology has the
potential to send nanoparticles within the body system to seek out
and treat afflicted parts, pranayam in yoga sends oxygen to the
remotest parts inside the body which need oxygen for cure."
Decrypting a nano story in the
Vancouver Sun (1 of 11)
• Vancouver start-up's wearable particle
monitor aims to save lives; Nanozen’s device is
half the size of a smartphone (Friday, Oct. 24,
2014)
• Gillian Shaw (digital life)
• http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/p
ersonaltech/Vancouver+company+wearable+particle
+monitor/10319183/story.html
Decrypting a nano story in the
Vancouver Sun (2 of 11)
• Nanozen founder Winnie Chu was working as a professor in
environmental health at the University of B.C., teaching
students about environmental monitoring, when she
realized particle monitoring methods were falling far short
of the need.
• “The current technology is not sufficient to protect workers
or the community when concentrations exceed the
acceptable level,” she said.
• That realization led Chu to launch a research project in
2004 seeking a better way to monitor nanoparticles in the
air. Two years ago she gave up teaching to focus full time on
the wearable particle monitor. [emphasis mine]
Decrypting a nano story in the
Vancouver Sun (3 of 11)
• Chu said more than 90 per cent of the
firefighters who responded to the 9/11
disaster developed lung disease, having
walked into a site full of small and very
damaging particles in the air.
• “Those nanoparticles go deep into your lungs
and cause inflammation and other problems,”
Chu said.
Decrypting a nano story in the
Vancouver Sun (4 of 11)
• Most of the research I can find focuses on micrsoscale
particles such as the work from the University of
California at Davis's Delta Group (Detection and
Evaluation of the Long-Range Transport of Aerosols).
From the Group's World Trade Center webpage,
•
The fuming World Trade Center debris pile was a
chemical factory that exhaled pollutants in particularly
dangerous forms that could penetrate deep into the
lungs of workers at Ground Zero, says a new study by
UC Davis air-quality experts. [study's lead author,
Thomas Cahill, a UC Davis professor emeritus of physics
and atmospheric science and research professor in
engineering]
Decrypting a nano story in the
Vancouver Sun (5 of 11)
• Delta Group made a presentation to an
American Chemical Society meeting in 2003
where all of the material discussed (aerosol
particles) was measured at the microscale
• No nanoscale material mentioned
• Presentation download (WTC aersols ACS
2003.ppt; 7,500kb
• http://delta.ucdavis.edu/WTC.htm
Decrypting a nano story in the
Vancouver Sun (6 of 11)
• A 2004 (?) New York Magazine article by Jennifer
Senior titled 'Fallout' had this to say about the air
content,
– Here, today, is what we know about the dust and air
at ground zero: It contained glass shards, pulverized
concrete, and many carcinogens, including hundreds
of thousands of pounds of asbestos, tens of
thousands of pounds of lead, mercury, cadmium,
dioxins, PCBs, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,
or PAHs. It also contained benzene. According to a
study done by the U.S. Geological Survey, the dust was
so caustic in places that its pH exceeded that of
ammonia. [emphasis mine; Cahill cited in this article]
Decrypting a nano story in the
Vancouver Sun (7 of 11)
• There were nanomaterials present according
to a 2009 paper but:
– CNT of commercial origin, common now, would
not have been present in substantial numbers in
the WTC complex before the disaster in 2001.
• Why mention 9/11 in relationship to
Nanozen’s sensor?
Decrypting a nano story in the
Vancouver Sun (8 of 11)
• Chu said environmental agencies require testing
to distinguish between particles equal to or less
than 10 microns and smaller particles 2.5 microns
or less.
• “When we inhale we inhale both size particles
but they go into different parts of the lung,” said
Chu, who said research shows the smaller the
particle the higher the toxicity. [emphasis mine]
The monitor she has developed can detect
particles as small as one micron and even less.
Decrypting a nano story in the
Vancouver Sun (9 of 11)
• There is only one nanomaterial (nanoparticle)
for which there is unequivocal agreement as
to the danger to lung tissue: carbon
nanotubes, specifically, long carbon
nanotubes
• Precisely the opposite of what Chu seem to be
saying: “Chu, who said research shows the
smaller the particle the higher the toxicity”
Decrypting a nano story in the
Vancouver Sun (10 of 11)
• The product has gone through several iterations
as Chu has sought to create a monitor that is
small and light enough to be truly wearable.
• “Everything is very small, it’s about half the size
of an iPhone,” she said. “Workers can put it on
their helmet.”
• An app to have the data shown on a cellphone is
under development; so far, the real-time data is
contained on the device itself.
Decrypting a nano story in the
Vancouver Sun (11 of 11)
• Problems with article
• Nanozen posting (http://www.frogheart.ca/)
• Nanosafety review
(http://www.frogheart.ca/?p=15029) review
published Oct. 10, 2014; n/r Oct. 29, 2014
Don Eigler
• Nano, the Greeks, and moving atoms
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rd2dri9p_
EI
• NOTE: CMOS: Complementary metal-oxide
semiconductor
– a technology for making low power integrated
circuits.
– a chip built using CMOS technology.