22-10-2010, 01:33 PM
NANO ENGR 220.pdf (Size: 1.2 MB / Downloads: 255)
Nanotechnology
Scale Changes Everything
• Four important ways in which nanoscale materials may differ from
macroscale materials
– Gravitational forces become negligible and electromagnetic
forces dominate
– Quantum mechanics is the model used to describe motion and
energy instead of the classical mechanics model
– Greater surface area to volume ratios
– Random molecular motion becomes more important
What Does This All Mean?
• The following factors are key for understanding nanoscale-related
properties
– Dominance of electromagnetic forces
– Importance of quantum mechanical models
– Higher surface area to volume ratio
– Random (Brownian) motion
• It is important to understand these four factors when researching
new materials and properties