They say there are no small parts only small actors.
But in science there are both and these nanostructures are the SMALLEST parts and they make a huge
impact.
Hey friends, Trace here, this is DNews.
The prefix Nano- means something really small…
like 10 to the negative 9 small…
Point 000-000-001 centimeters.
Nano has been paired with iPods, materials, bots, optics, and other super clicky topics,
but though they sound boring, scientists and engineers are working tirelessly to build
nanostructures because of the physics advantages of these tiny construction projects!
In February of 2016, the journal Nature Materials published a paper detailing the smallest lattice
structure ever created by humans.
This is important, because building things at these tiny scales hack the laws of physics!
Creations like these are called "metamaterials," because even though this is made of a type
of carbon, it has properties that are way different than the normal material.
In this case, the strength-to-density ratio is six times higher than previously created
materials!
The engineers and scientists think they could use this new metamaterial for batteries, or
other electrochemical purposes.
Look, I know metamaterials are a bit tough to grasp, but basically they're specific arrangements
of plastics or metals to take advantage of a tendency hidden in those elements -- usually
regarding the electromagnetic spectrum.
For example, the reason you can see trees or Beyonce is because they're made of atoms
that weren't specifically arranged.
Light just bounces off them in all directions.
But, with the right design, a metamaterial could reroute electromagnetic waves around
an object (called negative refraction) giving the illusion of invisibility!
It was predicted by Russian physicist Victor Veselago in the 1960s, and since the founding
of metamaterials as a field, it has been covered ad nauseum as a possible technological "Harry
Potter" slash "Predator" invisibility cloak.
But that's not nearly the most exciting thing.
Imagine a material that shrinks when stretched, and grows when squeezed.
A 2006 paper in Nature Materials predicted just that kind of metamaterial.
If scientists figure out how to make it, this stuff could reverse expectations in Newtonian
physics!
Cars could be coated in metamaterials that push back when compressed during crashes…
or bridges and buildings could push back against the wind!
But that's not all, in Applied Physics Letters, engineers from Duke found a way to convert
wayward, unused WiFi or satellite signals into electricity!
I mean, technology is just spewing radio waves in every direction, so why not grab some of
them?
According to their paper, the metamaterial is made of "subwavelength particles" and it
can harvest up to 7.3 volts using the slight vibration that it creates.
Saying "subwavelength" is just further illustrating how small these things are… that new lattice
I was talking about before?
The struts are only 1 micrometer long… the whole structure is only 10 micrometers!
It's so small -- that each of those struts are actually SHORTER than the wavelengths
of some infrared light, and way shorter than radio!
Okay, so even though the Duke researchers don't specify what exactly it's made of, they
say in their paper that when radio waves hit this metamaterial, it resonates, or vibrates.
They harvest that vibration and believe it could power small electronics pretty easily.
Imagine tiny tech that could harvest power from satellite signals, radio, or wifi from
your router...
Finally, one more: using 3-D printers, researchers from Virginia Tech created a macro-scale material
that successfully copied the design of a nanoscale metamaterial.
They created a cube that has a 400 percent greater tensile elasticity than normal materials,
with "minimal weight" and "maximum strength!"
Think: flexible armors, lightweight vehicles, and strong-but-light construction materials
for space!
All because we were playing around with bits of carbon under a microscope.
To be clear, scientists are still learning about how all this works.
I mean, the whole field of metamaterials is pretty new, so there's still a lot to learn.
But, the lead author on that reverse squeeze material told New Scientist, "We’ve gone
almost as far as we can with high-strength materials…
The next phase has to be materials that do completely different things."
So awesome.
If you love watching things get made, you should watch 'How It's Made!' on Science channel.
I love watching it during lunch actually, I know that's weird.
And you too can up your lunch game by downloading Science Go!
On your app store and watch How It's Made or any other Science Channel show current
or past.
Check the link in the description.
If you want to know more about metamaterials and plasmonics, check out this video from
a while back explaining more about this crazy stuff, cause it's crazy.
Does the idea that engineers are creating things so tiny, you cannot see them with the
naked eye freak you out?
Let us know in the comments and subscribe for more.
Thanks for watching.