Tiny Tech

Episode 040 When scientists take pictures or movies of atom-sized objects, they often use a T.E.M. a type of electron microscope that transmits an electron beam through the sample. At first, however, only solids could have their picture taken, because liquids tend to evaporate into the vacuum that the electron beam needs to travel through.

Episode 039

If you enjoy comics or superhero movies, you've probably heard of someone who's just a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist when you take away his metal suit. But our superhero admitted that he liked the name iron man, even though the fictional suit was actually made of gold-titanium alloy.

Episode 038

Cell phones and other mobile electronic devices are everywhere. Manufacturing them in large numbers, however, depends on the availability of rare elements that increasingly are in short supply. For example, the light emitting material in display screens must be situated between two layers of electrodes, and one of these electrodes must be transparent.

Episode 037

You can light fires with wood, but how about wood that emits light without burning? Scientists from New Zealand recently took thin sheets of balsa wood and extracted them with a solvent to dissolve away some of the more soluble components. They then filled the holes in the resulting porous, spongy solid with nano-sized luminescent quantum dots.

Episode 036

To satisfy our future need for energy, it will be increasingly important to use renewable energy sources, such as sunlight. Plants have been using sunlight as an energy source for millions of years. In a process called photosynthesis, plants use the sun's energy to make cellulose and other chemicals they need.

Episode 035

Nanotechnology is considered an example of the latest in modern science. But you might be surprised to know that one particular kind of nanotechnology has been around for a very long time. The Lycurgus cup is a small glass goblet decorated with an image of the mythical king Lycurgus. It was made around 300 AD, possibly in Rome, and today is owned by the British Museum in London.

Episode 034

Got your cell phone with you? I thought so. Like many other everyday electronic devices we cannot live without, your phone contains tiny amounts of scarce but critical rare earth elements, such as praseodynium and europium. Our seemingly insatiable appetite for the latest electronics means that the current global demand for these elements is far greater than theavailable supply

Episode 033

Looking for a new way to kill germs? Nanotechnology might hold the answer. Bacteria are becoming more resistant to current drugs, making it harder to treat diseases caused by them. There is constant research into making new molecules to fight these more resistant pathogens, however there is always the chance that the bacteria will eventually adjust to new drugs in turn. Nanotechnology offers a different approach and recent advances are starting to bring their use closer to reality

Episode 032

Chemical bonds are small, so small in fact that we can't see them with the most powerful optical microscopes. That's because the wavelength of visible light is about 400 times larger than the usual bond length. That's where electrons come in. Electrons are wave-like particles that are tiny, just like bonds, and can be used instead of light. When the sample is thin enough, electrons travel through the material and are collected on the other side by a detector that produces an image.

Episode 031

These days, you can use a 3D printer to make almost anything from a missing part for a broken toy to a prosthetic leg! Zooming down to the nanoscale, scientists are also developing ways of using 3D printing to make very tiny objects.