surface area

Presenter puts Mentos candy into soda to create a soda fountain. This is a dramatic demonstration of the effects of surface area. This demonstration isn’t heavily focused on nanotechnology,but can be a spectacular finale that you add on to other nano demos like Intro to Nano or Surface Area. (It’s probably best as a substitution for Alka-Seltzer, rather than being performed with it.) It’s also just a crowd pleasing demo that briefly mentions nano.

This is a large group version of the Surface Area program. In this interactive stage presentation, audience members are measured in nanometers and demonstrate the effectiveness of "nano" silver in killing germs. Other highlights include a fireball that starts and ends the show. Visitors learn that nanoparticles behave differently, in part because they have a high surface area to volume ratio.

“Nanosilver: Breakthrough or Biohazard?” is a public presentation which introduces audiences to the increasingly frequent use of silver nanoparticles in consumer products. During the presentation, visitors are guided through questions such as: What is nanosilver? Why is it used in consumer products such as teddy bears and food containers? How safe is nanosilver, and how might it affect the environment? Visitors are engaged with samples of nanosilver products, various images and graphics that tell the story of nanosilver, and a demonstration that uses a plume of diet cola to show how particle size affects reactions.

"Exploring Properties - Surface Area" is a hands-on activity demonstrating how a material can act differently when it's nanometer-sized. Visitors compare the reaction rate of an effervescent antacid tablet that is broken in half with one that is broken into many pieces.

This is a cart demo about how nanoparticles behave differently, in part because they have a high surface area:volume ratio. Visitors learn that smaller particles have a much higher proportion of their atoms on the surface. Visitors unfold paper cubes, drop alka-seltzer in water, turn potatoes black with iodine, and see fireballs to understand how surface area changes as you get small.

“Nanotech and Consumer Products” is a public presentation that introduces audiences to the growing role of nanotechnology in making consumer products, and encourages them to consider the potential environmental and health risks. During the presentation, visitors are guided through questions such as: What is nanotechnology, why does it matter, and where is it happening? How are nanomaterials being used in a growing number of consumer products that are available on the market today? What is known about the long-term environmental and health risks of nanotechnology, and how might the increased use of consumer products that are made through nanotechnology affect the environment? What might be done to address potential environmental and health concerns from nanotechnology, given the lack of a formal regulatory structure for consumer products in the United States?