Understanding nanotechnology using analogies: macroscale physics simulator and nanoscale back-of-envelope calculationss
Human brains create analogies when thinking about the nanoscale. However, human intuition about processes, forces, and interactions in the “nano-world” is often wrong. Nanotechnology is the research and application of materials and devices with dimensions below 100 nm (sometimes larger nanostructures are of interest). Nanotechnology is a highly interdisciplinary science that can be learned from mechanics, photonics, chemistry, physics, biology, materials science, and engineering perspectives. Nanomaterials lead to improvement of myriad of products and discovery of novel quantum, chemical, electrical, optical, and mechanical properties. However, nano- particles, materials, devices, and machines with sizes comparable to atomic clusters are impossible to see with the naked eye and even in optical microscopes. It is challenging to learn nanotechnology because it is complicated to imagine the behaviors of small things in a tiny world.
What you’ll learn
- Model mechanical, physical objects and interactions.
- Compare properties of nanomachines in comparision to macroscopic analogies.
- Calculation and modelling of particulates in the air.
- Fluid motion through nano-channel at a very low Reynolds Number.
- Brownian and mechanical mixer.
- Atomically Presize Coasting Distance of a Nanocar.
- Free, damped and forced oscillation: ball-spring system.
- Nanomechanical mass sensor based on resonant fequency shift.
- Q factor and beam calculation.
- Mechano-chemical systems.
- Atomic bonds, phonons and robots.
Course Content
- Introduction –> 1 lecture • 4min.
- Algodoo and nanotech –> 1 lecture • 7min.
- Examples: Simulations and Nanosystems –> 5 lectures • 33min.
- Nanomachines –> 2 lectures • 14min.
- Free oscillatioins –> 2 lectures • 19min.
- Dampled oscillations –> 1 lecture • 4min.
- Forced oscillations –> 1 lecture • 8min.
- Nanomechanical mass sensors –> 2 lectures • 21min.
- Mechano-chemical systems –> 1 lecture • 15min.
- Vibrating atomic bonds –> 5 lectures • 1hr.
- Phonons –> 3 lectures • 15min.
- Summary –> 1 lecture • 3min.
Requirements
Human brains create analogies when thinking about the nanoscale. However, human intuition about processes, forces, and interactions in the “nano-world” is often wrong. Nanotechnology is the research and application of materials and devices with dimensions below 100 nm (sometimes larger nanostructures are of interest). Nanotechnology is a highly interdisciplinary science that can be learned from mechanics, photonics, chemistry, physics, biology, materials science, and engineering perspectives. Nanomaterials lead to improvement of myriad of products and discovery of novel quantum, chemical, electrical, optical, and mechanical properties. However, nano- particles, materials, devices, and machines with sizes comparable to atomic clusters are impossible to see with the naked eye and even in optical microscopes. It is challenging to learn nanotechnology because it is complicated to imagine the behaviors of small things in a tiny world.
In a simulated “real world”, one can build, play, and make own inventions come alive. In Algodoo, one can construct interactive models (by clicking, dragging, tilting, and shaking), explore and play with rigid bodies, fluids, chains, gears, gravity, friction, springs, hinges, etc., in engaging simulated experiments. [Algodoo is a simulator from Algoryx Simulation AB as the successor to the popular program Phun: it simulates mechanical systems based on Newton’s laws].
Please note: Algodoo was not created to simulate nanotechnology. The time scale in Algodoo is, by default, 16.666 ms or 1/60 second (60 Hz). For this reason, resolving sub-cm physics in a shorter time-step is challenging. In this course, Algodoo is used to enhance the visualization of processes, devices, and machines (it is assumed that similar or comparable machines exist at the nanoscale). After simulations, back-of-envelope calculations are used to estimate orders of magnitudes and better understand how scaling influences behaviors of nanosystems in comparison to macroscopic analogies.