Abstract
Research, patents, and start-up companies using nanotechnology are growing exponentially. The general public and young students who will be the next generation work force need to properly understand and get excited by nanotechnology to ensure its public support, acceptance, and advancement. Water and air have many pollutants that are invisible to the naked eye, and the concept of selectively removing the pollutants using nanostructured materials is difficult to convey. We developed a hands-on activity where pompoms, representing pollutants in water or air, “adsorb” to adhesive blocks, representing nanostructured adsorbents. Students compete with their choice of sorbent (one large block or 8 small “nanoblocks,” both having the same unit volume) to see which sorbs/attaches more pompoms in the same period of time. Through this activity, students learn that the nanoblocks have enhanced adsorption capacity due to higher surface area to volume ratio, and therefore, the nanoblocks remove more pollutants (pompoms...
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
