"A Hands-on Introduction to Nanoscience and Technology"

or

"We're not in Kansas Anymore!"

ENGR-2500, 2510, 2520

So what will the class cover? First, at the nanoscale, we must confront the fact that Newton’s sensible laws are replaced by the weirdness of quantum mechanics (hence the class’s Wizard of Oz subtitle). The details are bewildering, but for this class you only need to know that electrons begin to act like waves. But all waves act basically the same way. And that means that to anticipate how weird electron waves might behave, we can (literally) start by experimenting with water waves (for instance, water waves will explain why manufacturers are putting nanoparticles into sun block).

The second thing that changes at the nanoscale, is that WE can no longer manufacture things directly. Micro-assembly techniques (such as those used in making the integrated circuits of your computer/cell phone/PDA) are based on micro-photography. And images just won’t focus to smaller than a wavelength of light (something we’ll also show with the water waves). But light’s wavelength is at least 10X too large to pattern things at the nanoscale. Instead we have to rely on a process called “self-assembly.” That is, we have to design the parts so they know how we want them to finally come together. The ultimate example of self-assembly? DNA synthesis of protein. But DNA might also someday help us to self-assemble nano electronic circuits. Some people spend years studying self-assembly and DNA. But in this class you’ll find that we can learn the essentials in just three or four classes.

But after you’ve programmed the parts to “self-assemble” at the nanoscale, how do you know if they got it right? One way is to use distant cousins of the old-fashion record player called the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) and Scanning Tunneling Microscope (whose invention earned two researchers Nobel Prizes). We used the NSF grant to buy six of these instruments. In the labs, you will use these tools to see individual atoms. (to view our full virtual reality recreations of these instruments, click on the photos above).

Finally, we’ll also discuss the boundary between nanoscience and nanotechnology. There is a heck of a lot of the former but not, as yet, a whole lot of the latter. The distinction has produced immense confusion in media from Scientific American to science fiction. What is real? What stands a good chance (or virtually no chance) of ever becoming real? And for the things that do become real, how might they affect us, and the other inhabitants of this world?

For this class, you should enroll in the lecture/discussion meeting (ENGR-2500) plus one of the four lab sections (ENGR-2510). Or, if you want to pursue independent nanoscience literature research, ENGR-2520 can be substituted for the lab (with the professor's permission).

Our vision for the class (excerpts from the NSF proposal)

Formal class syllabus

Image Gallery of STM & AFM Micrographs Obtained by Students - Fall 2007

Nanoscience Class Webpages

Links to Nanoscience Education Resources We've Found Elsewhere on the Web

Hands-on Nanoscience - Fall 2008

Instructor: John C. Bean

Lecture / Discussion Schedule:

	Class Date	Lecture Notes	Supporting webpage with animations, simulations, and readings
1	August 26	What is Nanoscience?	---------------
2	September 2	Waves (generic)	Click Here
3	September 9	Waves (electron)	Click Here
4	September 16	Microfabrication / Micromachining	Click Here
5	September 23	Great Science vs. Viable Technology	Click Here
6	September 30	The Need for Self-Assembly	Click Here
7	October 7	Molecular Self-Assembly Part I	---------------
	October 14	Reading Day - No Class	---------------
8	October 21	Molecular Self-Assembly Part II	Click Here
9	October 28	The Ultimate Self-Assembly Technique: DNA	Click Here
10	November 4	How We See and Measure at the Nanoscale	Click Here
11	November 11	Nanoelectronic Device Research	Click Here
12	November 18	The Fictions of Nano Science Fiction	Click Here
13	December 2	Nanotechnology Challenges and Fears	Click Here

Lab Schedule and Manuals:

#	Lab Dates	Topic / Activity	Readings, Links, Guides, Equipment
1	September 3-4	Waves in Springs	Click Here
2	September 10-11	Waves in Water I	Click Here
3	September 17-18	Waves in Water II
4	September 24-25	IC Fab Lab Tour / Demonstration of Photolithography	Click Here
5	October 1-2	Scanning Electron Microscopy	Click Here
6	October 8-9	Introduction to the Scanning Tunneling Microscope You must pass a quiz on the easyScan STM before you will be allowed to use them (click on link in this sentence for tutorial)	Click Here
7	October 15-16	Use the STM to image atoms on the surface of highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG)
8	October 22-23
9	October 29-30	Introduction to the Atomic Force Microscope You must pass a quiz on the easyScan AFM before you will be allowed to use them (click on link in this sentence for tutorial)	Click Here
10	November 5-9	Use the AFM to examine: Individual Graphite Atoms, Integrated Circuit , Carbon Nanotube, C60, Atomic Steps on Gold or Etched Semiconductors, Nano Ge islands on Si, Crystallographic Dislocations in Si, A Nanosample Idea of Yours
11	November 12-13	Correlation of quantum dot size with color	Click Here
12	November 19-20	Charlottesville CSI (DNA Fingerprinting)	Click Here
	November 26-27	No Lab - Thanksgiving Break
13	December 3-4	TBD

Homework Assignments (due in class the following week unless otherwise noted):

	Assigned	Assignment
1	August 26	Read: Textbook's chapter 1 (Quiz on chapter in class September 2)
2	September 2	Read: (Quiz on some part of this in class September 9): Textbook Chapter 2, only pages 29-37 (because is more relevant to micro than nano) Consumer Reports on: "More Testing and Regulation Needed for Nanotechnology" Scientific American on: "Do Nanoparticles and Sunscreen Mix?" Friends of the Earth's: "Guide to Nanotechnology and Sunscreens"
3	September 9	Bring to lab: Spring Lab Instructions / Report Document Read: Textbook, Chapter 3: Nanophysics (Quiz on Chapter in class September 16) Due Sept. 16: Textbook problems 2.7, 3.9, 3.10, 3.11 Students in Lab 1 (Wed 2 pm): Pick-up Nanocarbon kits. Assemble Graphite, Nanotube or C60 (See lectures 7,8, or UVA Virtual Lab presentation on Nanocarbon - Due September 16)
4	September 16	Study for Lab: Ripple Tank Manual Bring to Lab: Copy of our Ripple Tank Lab instructions / Report Document Read: Textbook, Chapter 4: Nanomaterials (Quiz on Chapter in class September 23) AND "The Nanomeme Syndrome: Blurring of Fact and Fiction in the construction of a New Science" Students in Lab 2 (Wed 3:30 pm): Pick-up Nanocarbon kits. Assemble Graphite, Nanotube or C60 (See lectures 7,8, or UVA Virtual Lab presentation on Nanocarbon - Due September 23)
5	September 23	Read: (Quiz on some part of readings September 30) Textbook, second half of Chapter 5: Nanomechanics (page 165 to end) "Rupturing the Nanotech Rapture" (it explains my limited enthusiasm for chapter 5) "Nanotechnology: Getting it Right the First Time" Students in Lab 3 (Thurs 2 pm): Pick-up Nanocarbon kits. Assemble Graphite, Nanotube or C60 (See lectures 7,8, or UVA Virtual Lab presentation on Nanocarbon - Due September 30)
6	September 30	Read: First half of textbook, Chapter 6: Nanoelectronics (pages 191-213) - Quiz in class October 7 Students in Lab 4 (Thurs 3:30 pm): Pick-up Nanocarbon kits. Assemble Graphite, Nanotube or C60 (See lectures 7,8, or UVA Virtual Lab presentation on Nanocarbon - Due October 7)
7	October 7	Read: Remainder of textbook, Chapter 6: Nanoelectronics (quiz in class October 21) Study for lab: UVA Virtual Lab presentation on easyScan STM (quiz in lab) Do: Mini-Midterm I on "Nanotechnology: Getting it Right the First Time" due October 21
8	October 14	Reading Day - No class
9	October 21	Read: Textbook, Chapter 7: Nanoheat Transfer Due Oct. 28: Chapter 7 problems: 7.1, 7,2, 7.3, 7.4, 7.6, 7.7, 7,8, 7.9, 7.15 (to be pledged / no sharing) Students in Lab 1 (Wed 2:00 pm): Pick-up DNA assembly kits. To be assembled by pairs of students: Instructions / UVA Virtual Lab: DNA: Big Picture & DNA: Do it Yourself (Due October 28)
10	October 28	Read: Textbook, Chapter 8: Nanophotonics Due Nov. 4: Chapter 8 problems: 8.5, 8.6, 8.14, 8.15, 8.23, 8.26, 8.29 (to be pledged / no sharing) (For problem 8.14 note that electron mass is 9.11 x 10^-31 kg, electron charge is 1.6 x 10^-19 Coulombs, a Coulomb = Farad x Volt, a Coulomb x Volt = Joule, and globe circling "shortwave radio" bands are defined as those ~ 30 MHz and below) Study for lab: UVA Virtual Lab presentation on easyScanAFM (quiz in lab) Students in Lab 2 (Wed 3:30 pm): Pick-up DNA assembly kits. To be assembled by pairs of students: Instructions / UVA Virtual Lab: DNA: Big Picture & DNA: Do it Yourself (Due November 4)
11	November 4	Read: First half of textbook, Chapter 9: Nanofluidics (pages 285-308) Due Nov.11: Chapter 9 problems: 9.2, 9.5, 9.9, 9.10, 9.12 (to be pledged / no sharing) Students in Lab 3 (Thurs 2:00 pm): Pick-up DNA assembly kits. To be assembled by pairs of students: Instructions / UVA Virtual Lab: DNA: Big Picture & DNA: Do it Yourself (November 11)
12	November 11	Read:Textbook, Chapter 10: Nanobio Due Nov. 18: Chapter 10 problems (to be pledged / no sharing): 10.4, 10.6, 10.7, 10.18 10_john_1: What is the efficiency of the ATP recharaging motor? 10_john_2: In Harvard's animation "Cellular Visions" (click here), do the molecular transporters tugging their cargo along filaments appear to based on myosin or on kinesin? Students in Lab 4 (Thurs 3:30 pm): Pick-up DNA assembly kits. To be assembled by pairs of students: Instructions / UVA Virtual Lab: DNA: Big Picture & DNA: Do it Yourself (Due November 18)
13	November 18	FINAL EXAM (due at noon, December 10th in Prof. Bean's office, Thornton E-223)