Week 8 - Nanotechnology + Art
Week 8 - Nanotechnology + Art
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| Purity Cosmetics is an Israeli company that specializes in using nanotechnology in its cosmetics line |
Nanotechnology has truly revolutionized how we live in the 21st
century. What’s surprising to know is that nanotechnology not only exists in
our electronic devices, but also in our foods, our fabrics and our medicines. For
example, silver nanoparticles are used in fabrics to kill bacteria making
clothing odor-resistant. Moreover, some skin-care products using nanoparticles
to deliver vitamins deeper into the skin (Bradley). In fact, L’Oreal, one of
the leading companies in beauty, makeup, cosmetics, haircare and perfume, ranked
as the #1 nanotechnology patent-holder in the US in 2015 with 497 filed patents
(Shaynon).
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| A Scanning Tunneling Microscope image of a quantum coral made from copper-111 atoms |
One of the miraculous inventions that transformed nanofabrication
and visualizing the nano-world was the Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM). It
works by using a very small metal needle with a tip of a few nanometers that
can apply an electric voltage. By scanning across a sample at distances less
than a nanometer, the atomic surface is “felt” by measuring how the current
changes along the surface and turned into visualizations. By increasing the
voltage, the needle can also be used to pick up individual atoms and move them
to a new location.
In 2013, IBM’s research group made the world’s smallest stop-motion
film, A Boy And His Atom, using an STM and single atoms. This
revolutionary movie shows off the incredible feat IBM and the general nanotechnology
research community have reached by having precise control over individual
atoms. One can only imagine a future in which art is made on the atomic and
molecular scale.
Sources:
Anthony, Sebastian. “IBM Creates World’s Smallest Movie with a Handful of Precisely Placed Atoms - ExtremeTech.” ExtremeTech, 1 May 2013, https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/154664-ibm-creates-worlds-smallest-movie-with-a-handful-of-precisely-placed-atoms.
Bradley, Paul. “Everyday Applications of Nanotechnology.” Community College Week, 3 Oct. 2011, http://ccweek.com/article-permalink-2630.html.
IBM. A Boy And His Atom: The World’s Smallest Movie. 2012. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSCX78-8-q0.
Raj, Silpa, et al. “Nanotechnology in Cosmetics: Opportunities and Challenges.” Journal of Pharmacy & Bioallied Sciences, vol. 4, no. 3, 2012, pp. 186–93. PubMed Central, doi:10.4103/0975-7406.99016.
Shaynon, Sheila. “Tech and Innovation: L’Oréal Reinforces Innate Beauty Built on Confidence and Charisma.” The Leading Salons of the World, 23 Sept. 2016, https://www.leadingsalons.com/en/article/450/tech_and_innovation_lor%C3%A9al_reinforces_innate_beauty_built_on_confidence_and_charisma.
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Great job on your article! I enjoyed reading about everyday products that many consumers use on the daily and how they have incorporated nanotechnology into their product. Its very interesting to me to learn about what we put in our bodies and on our skin because we can't see what is inside what we buy and the chemicals that could potentially be harmful. I really liked how you included the video of the Boy and His Atom! it really displays the sense of control, which you talked about and how much progress has been made in this field.
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