Matter Acts Weird

Photo by Peter Ganaj

The way things behave at the nanoscale is very different from how they work in the macroscale. Such as:

• • • • • • • • • Light interacts with matter differently, for instance colors can be based on light waves rather than dyes or pigments. Learn more here: https://phys.org/news/2019-12-nanoscale.html
                • Matter is so small that gravity becomes insignificant and intermolecular forces dominate.
                • Surface effects become important due to large surface area relative to environment.
                • Motion becomes complicated.
                • Quantum effects dominate.

Learn about these unexpected properties of matter at the nanoscale.

We learned about the blue morpho butterfly in previous videos and how it is actually brown but appears blue. It turns out nature has a hard time making blue naturally. 

Is it blue or is it nanotechnology? None of the images below have a speck of blue pigment. All are brown but appear blue due to structural color. This means that the nanostructures are just the right size for visible blue light to refract and appear blue.

This video, Why is Blue so Rare in Nature, goes more in depth.

The table below shows some nanoscale properties. Learn more about these properties and concepts in the videos in the Learn More column. We have included a few activites for anyone who would like to try some experiements.

Nanogirl, My Quest to Become a Superhero: Michelle Dickinson at TEDxAuckland