2008 Joint Meeting of the APS Ohio-Region Section, the AAPT Southern Ohio Section, and the ACS Dayton-Section
Volume 53, Number 8
Friday–Saturday, October 10–11, 2008;
Dayton, Ohio
Session D1: Plenary Session II
10:00 AM–12:00 PM,
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Fawcett Hall
Room: 101
Chair: Lok C. Lew Yan Voon, Wright State University
Abstract ID: BAPS.2008.OSF.D1.2
Abstract: D1.00002 : Nanotechnology in the Environment: Lessons From and For Solid State Physics
11:00 AM–12:00 PM
Preview Abstract
Abstract
Author:
Vicki Colvin
(Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, TX 77251)
Nanotechnology-enabled systems offer great promise for solving difficult
environmental and biological problems. Their small size, high surface areas,
and unique properties all provide opportunity for use-driven science and
engineering research. At Rice University, in a NSF research center termed
CBEN, we have since 2001 been studying applications in biological and
environmental engineering and the science of the ``wet/dry'' interface
between living systems and inorganic materials. Ultimately with the
appropriate tools we aim to predict the behavior -- the transport,
biokinetics and effects -- of engineered nanoparticles in natural systems. I
will give two examples of applications driven research which have exploited
fundamental understanding of solid state physics in both magnetic and
optical systems. Quantum dot/metal complexes, for example, can be generated
to act as probes in biological systems. When linked with specific peptide
sequences, these systems can detect the presence of metalloproteases or
MMPs. These elusive biomolecules are thought to be excellent indicators for
the biological state of solid tumors, and their application could yield a
combination of both structural and functional imaging. In a second example
the nanoscale behavior of magnets are the basis for developing point-of-use
water purification for arsenic-rich sources. High surface area and
monodisperse Fe$_{3}$O$_{4}$ nanocrystals will move in very low magnetic
field gradients ($<$ 100 T/m) in a size-dependent fashion. The striking size
dependence of the magnetic separation process permits the first multiplexed
separation of nanocrystals by magnetic field strength. This phenomena makes
it possible to demonstrate in one proof-of-principle systems that high
specific surface area Fe$_{3}$O$_{4}$ nanocrystals can be used in a magnetic
separation process to remove arsenic. From these examples which are clearly
cases where solid state physics taught users of nanotechnology how best to
apply novel materials, I will move to lessons for solid state physics from
this area of nanotechnology. Much of this discussion will center on the need
for a proactive dialog about measuring the risk of technology's that are on
the frontier; such debates are now a visible hallmark of nanotechnology
programs worldwide. While it may seem that concerns about the health of
environmental impactsof nanomaterials are far from the expertise or interest
of physicists, the critical role of the interface in these studies elevates
the importance of surface science in particular in this emerging area. The
need for more quantitative and basic studies of these interfaces in water is
acute, and defines a topic well suited for the physics community.
To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2008.OSF.D1.2