Applications of nanotechnology: Practice Questions

Which of the following is a common form of nanomaterial mentioned in the context of nanotechnology?

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles are used to create self-cleaning windows. This application primarily relies on which property of the nanoparticles?

A scanning tunnelling microscope (STM) can be used to image surfaces at the atomic level. The fundamental principle enabling this high-resolution imaging, without physical contact between the probe and the sample, is:

What does the prefix 'nano' in nanotechnology primarily refer to?

Which of the following statements correctly identifies a reason why nanomaterials are used in suntan lotions?

In the context of nanotechnology, what does the prefix "nano" quantitatively represent in terms of length scale?

Explain why materials at the nanoscale often exhibit different physical properties compared to their bulk counterparts, without discussing specific examples like carbon nanotubes.

Nanotechnology finds applications in both advanced electronics and sunscreens. For each field, briefly describe a specific application and explain how the nanoscale dimension of the material contributes to its effectiveness.

What is the defining characteristic of a nanomaterial in terms of its size dimension?
Give one example of how a material's optical property can change significantly when its size is reduced to the nanoscale, compared to its bulk form.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and nanowires are two of the most significant structures in the field of nanotechnology with distinct structural and physical characteristics.
(a) Explain the fundamental structural difference between a carbon nanotube and a nanowire.
(b) Carbon nanotubes are often cited as ideal materials for high-performance structural applications, such as in aerospace engineering. State two mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes that support this and explain why these properties are advantageous at the macroscopic scale.
(c) When materials are reduced to the nanoscale to create components for electronics, their electrical conductivity can change significantly. Briefly describe one reason for this change, referring to the surface area-to-volume ratio.