Nanotechnology in
Transportation
Fabrication
Mechanics
Infrastructure
http://www.ampro.com/Applications/Transportation.htm
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Urban-Studies-and-Planning/11-953Spring-2006/CourseHome/index.htm
How can small
science help us
travel such a bigplanet?
From roads to bridges, from planes to trains,
from cars to bikes, and ships to busses.
How Big Is Nano?
http://www.terressentials.com/exposure.html
http://www.nano.gov/html/facts/The_scale_of_things.html
What Does Transportation Look Like?
http://www.princeton.edu/~ina/infographics/transportation.html
Nanotechnology Transportation
Goals
Protect and Improve the Environment
Improve safety
Improve comfort
http://www.rff.com/Transportation_Plan.gif
Using nanoscience technology, scientists
hope to improve the transportation industry
in three main ways:
1. Behind the Wheel
It won't be long and you'll be driving! Imagine, nearly three quarters of a billion cars are currently being driven around the world.
Pollutant emissions and the need for recycling and disposal are a big concern.
Researchers, developers and industry are searching for new nanotechnology solutions for the transportation industry. http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=209&program=Cascadia&isEvent=true
Areas of Vehicle Nanoscience Research
Anti-glare and dirt-resistant
window materials
Wear-resistant super-grip tires
Corrosion protection
Lightweight materials
Individually varying colors
Wear-resistant mechanical parts
Electronic safety sensors
New drive and emissions concepts
Thanks to nanotechnology, look for vehicle
improvements in the following areas. A few of these will
be described on the following pages.
Ames Research Center
conducts research using
nano-scale assembly to create
sensing elements, among
other things. They are using
protein-based nanotubes,
potentially capable of self-
organization and replication. http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/spinoff2001/ames.html
image: http://nanopedia.case.edu/NWPage.php?page=transportation
Bling!
An Australian company
nano-based water repellant
product is said to increases
visibility in wet weather by
up to 34%. The company
website states, "Nothing
clings to Bling! Bugs, Snow,
Ice and Rain comes right
off!"
http://www.greentechforum.net/category/news/2007/07/04/if-it%e2%80%99s-in-bling-nanotech-must-be-mainstream
http://nanopublic.blogspot.com/2007/07/need-nano-bling.html
http://www.instructables.com/id/Increase-Miles-Per-Gallon-Instantly/
Windshields
Designs are currently being developed for windows that wrap all the way around vehicles.
Source: Dr. U. König, DaimlerChrysler AGhttp://www.nanotruck.de
Nanoparticles and nanofibers make this possible. These nanoparticles provide extremely high transparency and stiffness. Besides making driving safer with better all-round vision, it also would be lighter.
Look for transparent solar cells for car windows, soon, with the help of nanotechnology.
Better Protection
Click on the following link to find a list of
ways vehicles can be protected by just
one nanotechnology company!
Nanotechnology Innovations
Your Bike and
Nanotechnology
To save energy and for exercise,
some of us ride bicycles, but a
lightweight bicycle is always easier to
pedal. Carbon nanotubes are tiny
cylinders of carbon atoms that have
100 times the strength of steel but
weigh much less. Nanotechnology
has helped make a bicycle that
weights less than three pounds and
is extra durable.
http://discovermagazine.com/2008/feb/06-see-through-bike
http://delta7sports.com/products.html
2. Mechanics
Better Batteries with Nanoscience
A123Systems has taken a different approach to
developing nano-enabled car batteries. The
battery uses the advantage of increased surface
area of particles at the nanoscale nanoparticles
to provide a quicker source of greater power.
http://www.nano.org.uk/features.htm
Fuel Cells using
Nanotechnology
Cheaper fuel cell vehicles can be made possible with the help of an enzyme connected electrically to a carbon nanotube. The National Renewable Energy Labs in Colorado combining the super tiny strands of carbon with hydrogenese, a "biohybrid" catalyst. This process eliminates the need for platinum, an expensive component in traditional fuel cells.
http://www.physorg.com/news114703218.html
Lighter Nanotech Cars
Save Fuel
Ford has an idea for dealing with the energy
crisis. Nanotechnology can make cares 250 to
750 pounds lighter without compromising the
structural integrity of the vehicle. Lightening
the vehicles will have much better gas
mileage.
http://jalopnik.com/380964/ford-looking-to-nanotechnology-for-future-design
http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/04/ford-turns-to-n.html
A Better Catalytic
Converter
With nanoscience these catalytic converters use 70 to 90 percent less metals, like platinum, rhodium and palladium, which speed up chemical reactions of pollutants such as nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons. The converters rely on nanoparticles of the catalytic metal, each less than five nanometers in diameter, embedded into fixed positions onto the surface of tiny ceramic spheres.
See how it works on the next page.
http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=2913.php
http://maremare1225.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/catalytic-converter-location.jpg
Mazda created a new catalytic
converter using nanotechnology.
Catalytic converters help to purify
exhaust emissions.
Nano-sized Secrets
In the past the problem of placing nanoparticles on a
surface like this resulted in the migration and
collection of nanoparticles into one place,
(agglomerating). That’s a problem when working with
nanoparticles due to the laws of quantum mechanics.
(Quantum = small). Somehow, Mazda has overcome
the problem, and they’re not telling how!
That’s Nano-Slick!
Using nano-boric acid
particles in motor oil
reduces friction in
automobile engine parts
can have less friction.
This boric acid 'rose' shows
the intricately layered
microscopic structure of the
compound.
http://nanotechnologytoday.blogspot.com/2007/08/nano-boric-acid-makes-motor-oil-more.html
3. Infrastructure
http://pubsindex.trb.org/document/view/default.asp?lbid=847888http://whrpnews.org/images/12-07/joint_distress1.jpghttp://radio.weblogs.com/0105910/2004/08/04.html
Nanotechnology can also be found in the
construction and monitoring of roads.
Nanomaterials are found in construction materials
including concrete, asphalt, aggregates, and even
pavement marking materials. Research into nano-
phosphors could someday illuminate the streets, not from
above, but from within! Guardrails may someday heal
themselves, or concrete or asphalt that heal their own
cracking using nanotechnology.
Sensors
Advanced sensor technology using nanochips is available for transportation applications. Due to the lower cost and easy installation, sensors have been placed in the pavements, bridges, inside concrete and asphalt, and even inside vehicles. There are nanosensors on the Golden Gate Bridge to monitor its behavior. These nanochips can provide wireless communication to improve safety.
http://radio.weblogs.com/0105910/2004/08/04.html
Social, Environmental and
Ethical Concerns
1. Might these nanotechnology developments in
transportation infringe on human rights?
2. Could any of them decrease privacy of individuals?
3. Could the use of nanotechnology for transportation
have unwanted and negative environmental effects?
4. What economic impact could the use of
nanotechnology in transportation have on
producers, consumers, and other industries?
Might they be negative or positive?
What About Your
Rights?
If so, are these developments
more important than
•Your privacy?
•Your rights as a citizen?
•Your rights as a human being?
Are the answers somewhere in between?
Research QuestionsTo prepare for your presentation, answer the following questions using reference materials which can include the websites linked to this webquest:
2. If we can develop these technologies,
should we? Why?
1. What can be done to maximize the
chances that humans will benefit from,
rather than be harmed by, new
developments?
http://pro.corbis.com/images/42-16672735.jpg?size=572&uid=%7B44615E22-1598-41FF-B99B-9268F07BE014%7D
Transportation Weblinks
These are websites which are a good place to start looking for more information on nanotechnology in transportation. You may also wish to use the reference links at the bottom of many of the pages within this presentation. Then use the general website page linked at the bottom of this page. It is chock full of nanotechnology sites related to multiple areas including yours.
Vehicles
http://www.drivers.com/article/887
Infrastructure Materials
http://www.irmca.com/projects/birk.asp Click on the topics on the left of the webpage for more
information at
http://www.nanoforum.org/educationtree/modernlife/modernlife-construction.htm
Sensors
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_4359023
http://www.sensorsmag.com/sensors/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=361237
General Nanoscience Weblinks
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