Nanoscience Curriculum

Nanoscience Teacher Guides Aligned to New Mexico Standards
Introduction to Nanotechnology (150kB pdf)
Nanotechnology and its Uses (145kB pdf)
Global Warming and Fuel Cells (118kB pdf)
Green Machine (120kB pdf)
Memory Wire (223kB pdf)
Ferro Fluids (157kB pdf)
Slime Away (221kB pdf)
The Formation of the Wonder Polymer (357kB pdf)
Recycling Plastic (Polymers) (320kB pdf)
ELISA (Enzyme Linked ImmunoSorbant Assay) (1MB pdf)
Proteomics (159kB pdf)
Nanocrystalline Solar Cells (Gratzel Cell) (188kB pdf)
Preventing Metallic Corrosion using Nanometer-thick Surface Films (234kB pdf)
Nano-Biology: DNA Extraction from a Kiwi Fruit (147kB pdf)
Tools in Materials Science (130kB pdf)

Hydrophobic Sand
Letting your students play with Magic Sand is an easy way to show how changes at the molecular level can have a profound impact on how materials behave in our macroscopic world. Compare the behavior of regular (hydrophilic) sand mixed in a jar of water with how hydrophobic Magic Sand performs in another jar. Reach down into the water, grab a handful of Magic Sand, pull it up out of the water to show students how it has stayed dry! (Be aware though that the oils on our hands will negate the effect over time). See how drops of water bead up on a pile of Magic Sand; this is called the lotus effect, after the way lotus leaves clean their superhydrophobic surfaces by letting drops roll down and off them, picking up dirt along the way.

Teacher and Student guides

New Mexico State Standards (PDF)