Nanoscience - Eduqas Comb

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Fullerenes

Fullerenes: A group of allotropes of carbon, made up of balls, 'cages' or tubes of carbon atoms

This is a type of fullerene known as a Buckminsterfullerene or 'buckyball'. They can be made with 60, 70,76 or 80 carbon atoms.

Because they have a closed structure, they can be used to entrap other molecules.

This can be useful for:

Carrying drugs for delivery to specific sites in the body

In cosmetics, where they can absorb harmful radicals

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Carbon Nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes are another type of fullerene.

Molecular-scale tubes of graphite-like carbon.

Among the stiffest and strongest fibres known - due to covalently bonded carbon hexagonal rings

Excellent conductivity - due to free electrons

Current uses:

Atomic force microscopes

Bone-tissue scaffolding

Cancer treatment

To make bulk materials for use in bicycle components and boat hulls

To make bulk materials for use in epoxy-resins for bonding high performance components in wind-turbines and sports equipment

Proposed further uses:

Connections inside miniature electronic circuits

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Graphene

Graphene: One layer of the graphite molecule, i.e. a single layer of carbon atoms covalently bonded in a hexagonal honeycomb lattice

Graphene has many extraordinary properties:

Thinnest material known to man - one atom thick

Lighest material known

Strongest material discovered- stronger than steel

Best conductor of heat at room temperature

Best conductor of electricity

Potential uses:

Thin - could be incorporated into printing inks, allowing circuits to be printed onto paper

Very unreactive - could be incorporated into metal paints to stop them rusting

Strong - could be used to replace Kevlar in bulletproof vests

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Nanoparticles

Nanoparticles: Particles between 1 and 100 nanometers in size. In nanotechnology, a particle is defined as a small object that behaves as a whole unit with respect to its transport and properties.

Nanoparticles sometimes have different properties from their bulk material, because they have a very large surface area for their size compared to normal particles.

Silver nanoparticles

1. Medical uses

Silver is commonly used for its antibacterial properties, particularly to treat external infections

Silver ions irreversibly damage key enzymes in the cell membranes of the microorganisms

Silver nano particles have a much greater anti-bacterial action than normal silver particles, because their tiny size means they can get to places normal particles cannot. They might even be able to enter living cells.

2. Clothes

Silver nanoparticles have been incorporated into the fabric of clothes in order to kill the bacterial build up that causes odours.

Dangers of silver nano particles:

We do not yet fully understand the consequences of using nano particles. There is no direct evidence that they are harmful, but we do not know for certain that they are harmless either. Some scientists are concerned especially by the effect they could have on the environment were they to find their way into delicate ecosystems or municipal waste water systems that depend on bacteria.

The Royal Comission of Environmental Pollution recommended against their use in clothes in 2008.