Nanotechnology is not simply about making things smaller | Noushin Nasiri | TEDxMacquarieUniversity

Summary

In this engaging talk, the speaker reflects on their upbringing in northern Iran and the curiosity instilled by their father. They explore the concept of nanotechnology, explaining the scale of nanoparticles and how their properties differ significantly from larger materials due to quantum effects. The speaker emphasizes the negligible impact of gravity at the nanoscale and highlights the potential of nanotechnology in developing sensitive breath sensors for disease detection. By increasing the surface area of these sensors, nanotechnology could revolutionize diagnostics and improve healthcare outcomes, illustrating the interdisciplinary nature and vast potential of nanoscience.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker reflects on their upbringing in a small city in Iran, highlighting their father's curiosity and passion for knowledge.
• 🤔 A key lesson from the speaker's father is to question facts and seek scientific explanations behind them.
• 🕒 The concept of time differences between countries is introduced, illustrating how it can spark deeper questions about gravity and travel.
• 📏 The definition of a nanoparticle is provided, emphasizing its extremely small size, measured in nanometers (one billionth of a meter).
• 🔬 The properties of materials change dramatically when reduced to the nanoscale, demonstrated by the color change of gold nanoparticles.
• ⚖️ In everyday life, gravity is a dominant force, but at the nanoscale, other forces, such as electromagnetic forces and thermal vibrations, become more significant.
• 🌌 The speaker highlights the unique challenges of manipulating materials at the nanoscale and the importance of understanding these scientific rules.
• 🧬 Nanotechnology is pivotal in developing sensitive sensors capable of detecting disease markers in human breath at very low concentrations.
• 📈 The increase in surface area when materials are reduced to the nanoscale significantly enhances the detection capabilities of these sensors.
• 💡 Nanoscience integrates multiple fields such as biology, chemistry, and engineering, offering promising advancements in diagnostics and improving quality of life.

Q & A

What was the initial question posed by the speaker's father?

The speaker's father asked why there is a time difference between countries.

How did the speaker initially respond to the question about time differences?

The speaker responded that the earth is spinning, explaining that it takes seven hours for Canada to be in the same geographical location.

What concept does the speaker's father emphasize in his teachings?

The speaker's father emphasizes the importance of questioning facts and seeking scientific reasons behind them.

What is the definition of a nanoparticle?

A nanoparticle is defined as a particle that is one billionth of a meter in size, or one nanometer.

How does gravity affect nanoparticles compared to larger objects?

On the nanoscale, gravity becomes negligible and is much less important than other forces, such as electromagnetic forces and thermal vibrations.

What is the quantum effect in relation to nanoparticles?

The quantum effect refers to the phenomenon where materials exhibit dramatically different physical and chemical properties at the nanoscale compared to their macroscopic forms.

What potential application of nanotechnology is discussed in the transcript?

The transcript discusses using nanotechnology to design sensitive nanosensors that can detect disease markers in human breath.

What challenge exists in detecting disease markers in breath, according to the speaker?

The challenge is that disease markers exist at very low concentrations, sometimes as low as parts per billion, making them difficult to detect.

How does reducing the size of materials affect their surface area?

Reducing the size of materials significantly increases their surface area, which can enhance their ability to capture tiny concentrations of substances.

What interdisciplinary fields are involved in nanoscience as mentioned in the transcript?

Nanoscience encompasses various fields, including biology, chemistry, physics, electronics, medicine, material science, and engineering.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 Curiosity and the Nano Scale

The speaker reflects on their upbringing in a small Iranian city, emphasizing their father's role as a passionate and inquisitive agricultural engineer who instilled a love of questioning the world. The narrative explores the concept of time zones, using a childhood memory to illustrate the importance of seeking scientific reasoning. This leads to a discussion on nanotechnology, explaining that a nanoparticle is one billionth of a meter and providing a detailed comparison to everyday objects to illustrate size. The speaker explains that while traditional materials behave predictably under the influence of gravity, at the nanoscale, different forces dominate. They highlight how reducing materials to the nanoscale alters their properties, using gold nanoparticles as an example, which can appear in various colors due to quantum effects.

05:03

🔍 The Significance of Nanoscale Properties

The focus shifts to the negligible effect of gravity on nanoparticles compared to other forces at the nanoscale, such as electromagnetic forces and thermal vibrations. The speaker emphasizes that understanding these rules allows scientists to design new materials with desired properties. A specific application discussed is the development of intelligent nanosensors capable of detecting disease markers in breath. The challenge is the extremely low concentration of these markers, illustrated with an example involving acetone and diabetes. To successfully create sensors that can detect these markers, advancements in nanotechnology are necessary, allowing for increased sensitivity in detection compared to previous methods.

10:04

🧬 Nanotechnology in Breath Analysis

The speaker explains how nanotechnology enhances sensor design by dramatically increasing surface area without changing mass or volume. By breaking down materials into nanoscale structures, the surface area available for capturing tiny disease markers in breath is significantly increased. This discussion highlights nanoscience as an interdisciplinary platform involving biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering, showcasing its potential to improve diagnostic technologies and healthcare. The speaker concludes by reinforcing the transformative impact of nanotechnology in fields like breath analysis, suggesting that it can lead to better diagnostic tools and save lives in the future.

Keywords

💡Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is the science of manipulating materials on an atomic or molecular scale, typically at dimensions between 1 to 100 nanometers. This field is crucial in developing new materials and devices with unique properties that differ significantly from their larger-scale counterparts. In the video, the speaker highlights how nanotechnology allows for the design of intelligent nanosensors capable of detecting diseases through breath analysis, showcasing its potential to revolutionize diagnostic methods.

💡Quantum Effect

The quantum effect refers to the distinct physical and chemical properties that materials exhibit when reduced to nanoscale dimensions. This phenomenon results from the principles of quantum mechanics, which govern the behavior of particles at such small scales. For instance, the speaker illustrates that gold nanoparticles can display colors such as red or blue instead of the familiar yellow color of bulk gold, emphasizing how size alters material behavior and properties.

💡Gravity

Gravity is a fundamental force that attracts two bodies towards each other, most notably experienced as the force keeping objects grounded on Earth. In the context of the video, the speaker contrasts gravity's significant role in our everyday world with its negligible influence at the nanoscale, where other forces, such as electromagnetic forces, dominate. This shift in importance is critical for understanding how nanoparticles behave differently than macroscopic objects.

💡Brownian Motion

Brownian motion is the random movement of microscopic particles suspended in a fluid, resulting from their collisions with the fast-moving atoms or molecules in the fluid. This phenomenon is particularly relevant at the nanoscale, where the motion of particles is influenced more by thermal vibrations than by gravity. The speaker mentions that when a nanoparticle is dropped, its dynamics are primarily affected by Brownian motion, highlighting the different forces at play in the nanoscale world.

💡Surface Area

Surface area refers to the total area of the surface of a three-dimensional object. In nanotechnology, increasing the surface area of materials significantly enhances their reactivity and sensitivity. The speaker uses the analogy of dividing a large cube into smaller cubes to illustrate how shrinking materials to nanoscale can lead to a ten million-fold increase in surface area, which is crucial for the effectiveness of nanosensors designed to detect low concentrations of biomarkers in breath.

💡Biomarkers

Biomarkers are biological indicators, often found in bodily fluids, that can signify the presence of a disease or health condition. In the video, the speaker discusses how specific biomarkers, such as acetone in breath, can indicate conditions like diabetes. This underscores the importance of developing sensitive sensors capable of detecting these biomarkers at extremely low concentrations to facilitate non-invasive medical diagnostics.

💡Nanoscale

Nanoscale refers to the size range of 1 to 100 nanometers, where unique physical and chemical properties emerge that are not observed at larger scales. The video emphasizes that at the nanoscale, materials behave according to different rules than at the macroscopic level, making this range particularly interesting for scientific research and technological applications. The speaker's exploration of the nanoscale serves as a foundation for understanding the implications of nanotechnology in everyday life.

💡Sensor Technology

Sensor technology involves devices that detect and respond to physical stimuli, converting them into readable signals. The speaker highlights how advancements in nanotechnology enable the creation of ultra-sensitive sensors that can identify biomarkers in breath at concentrations as low as parts per billion. This development represents a significant leap forward in medical diagnostics, illustrating how sensor technology can improve health monitoring and disease detection.

💡Interdisciplinary Science

Interdisciplinary science is an approach that integrates concepts, methods, and knowledge from multiple scientific disciplines to solve complex problems. In the context of the video, the speaker describes nanoscience as a platform that encompasses biology, chemistry, physics, and more. This interdisciplinary nature is vital for fostering innovation in nanotechnology, as it combines insights from various fields to enhance research and application outcomes.

💡Disease Detection

Disease detection refers to the process of identifying a health condition through various diagnostic methods. The speaker focuses on the potential of using breath analysis as a non-invasive way to detect diseases by identifying specific biomarkers. This approach not only makes diagnostics easier but also paves the way for early detection, improving patient outcomes and overall healthcare efficiency.

Highlights

The speaker grew up in a small city in northern Iran, influenced by a father who valued academic achievements and instilled curiosity.

The father's questioning approach encouraged critical thinking and scientific reasoning in the speaker.

The speaker illustrates the concept of time zones through a personal anecdote about traveling to Canada.

Definition of a nanoparticle: one billionth of a meter, highlighting its significance in scientific exploration.

The speaker uses relatable comparisons to visualize the nanoscale, illustrating the size of nanoparticles in relation to everyday objects.

Nanotechnology is not just about miniaturization but involves different physical and chemical properties at the nanoscale.

Gold nanoparticles can exhibit various colors (red, purple, blue, green) due to quantum effects, differing from bulk gold's yellow color.

Gravity is a dominant force at the macro scale but is negligible at the nanoscale, where other forces become more significant.

Dropping a nanoparticle highlights the unique dynamics influenced more by Brownian motion and thermal vibrations than gravity.

The speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding nanoscale rules to design new materials with tailored properties.

Introduction of intelligent nanosensors that can detect specific markers in human breath, representing a significant advance in diagnostics.

Breath analysis can reveal diseases based on chemical changes in the body, providing a non-invasive diagnostic method.

Detection of disease markers requires highly sensitive sensors capable of identifying parts per billion (ppb) concentrations.

The speaker illustrates the concept of concentration with a relatable analogy from the Harry Potter series to explain parts per million (ppm).

Nanotechnology enables the fabrication of sensors that are significantly more accurate in detecting low concentrations of disease markers.

Increased surface area from nanoscale materials allows for more effective capture of disease markers in breath analysis.

Nanoscience integrates multiple disciplines, including biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering, to enhance quality of life.

The potential impact of breath analysis technology could transform diagnostic practices, offering better healthcare solutions.

Transcripts

I grew up in a small city in the north

of Iran next to the Caspian Sea

my father is an agricultural engineer a

country boy who values academic

achievements it's my favorite person in

the family

who is full of passion for life and

always has a question to ask always no

matter how old you are how educated you

are how interested you are

he always has a question to challenge

you a question that is simple but

somehow difficult to answer when I was

eight he asked me why is the time

difference between countries

I answered very proudly of course

because the earth is spinning Papa it

means that it takes seven hours for

Canada to be in the same geographical

location as we are right now is it true

then why do people bother to buy a

ticket and spend eighteen hours to

travel to Canada for the time difference

is only seven hours why not hire a

helicopter go up stand still while the

earth is spinning

and get down to Canada only after seven

hours yes my father who planted the

curiosity seeds in me he taught me to

not simply accept anything as a fact in

this world but look for a reason a

scientific reason behind every single

fact why is the sky blue

why does it end red at sunset

why are clouds white why are rain

droplets is spherical in shape not cubic

so as I'm truly his daughter I'm going

to do the same today I'm gonna ask you a

question a very simple one of course

what will happen if I drop this pen

gravity right simple now what will

happen if I drop a nano particle does

gravity have the same effect in order to

answer this question we need to know

what a nano particle is nano means one

billionth a nanometer is one billionth

of a meter to help us imagine nano size

this is a baseball bat which is about

one meter long now if you take its

length and divide it by 100 you get to

the size of my fingertip which is about

one centimeter take that and divide it

by ten and you get to the size of an

either eye which is only one millimeter

take that and divide it by 10 again and

you get to the diameter of a human hair

which is there a hundred micrometer this

might be the smallest division you will

be able to see it by naked eye take that

and divide it by 10 again and you get to

the size of a blood cell which is about

10 micrometer take one blood cell

and divided by 10 again you get to the

diameter of a bacteria which is only 1

micrometer take one bacteria and divide

by 10 again you get to the size of a

virus which is around 100 nanometer now

if you are in the scale of nanometer

pretty close huh but not there yet all

you have to do is to take one virus and

this time divided by 100 and you get to

the size of half of a DNA which is only

one nanometer

one nanometer it means only five atoms

sitting end to end one nanometer one

billionth of a meter what what is it all

about

but if you're so obsessed about making

things smaller and smaller in size I

understand smaller is lighter it's

cheaper is faster and is a smarter this

is what we consider to be the first

computer made in 1940s big complicated

and not very smart today every one of

you have your own smartphone smaller

device which is millions of times more

powerful than the first computer but

nanotechnology is not simply about

making things smaller for the sake of it

it's because science has different rules

in the nano scale in fact if you make

materials and you if you take materials

and stop making them smaller and smaller

in size down to nanometers the materials

physical and chemical properties change

dramatically the best example is the

gold ring on your finger which is golden

yellow in color but a gold nanoparticle

is not necessarily golden it can be red

purple blue or even green this is called

quantum effect

materials reduce to nano size can

suddenly show very different properties

than what they show on the Matra scale

now let's get back to that pen and the

nano particle in our everyday world

gravity is the most important for spin

counter it dominates everything around

us

gravity is necessary for rain droplets

to fall or for water to drain even for

our hair to hang down around our head

but on the nano scale gravity is nothing

it's negligible it is much less

important that other forces like

electromagnetic forces between atoms and

molecules or the thermal vibration of

atoms in a nano structure and if I drop

this nano particle the dynamics of such

a small object would be much more

sensitive to the factors like Brownian

motion or turbulent diffusion than

gravity in short the game of science has

different rules when you play it in the

nano scale but if we know these rules if

we learn how to play this game we can

design new materials we can man you

plate the properties we can train them

and make them behave the way we want

them to do in my laboratory we are doing

this by designing not only small but

intelligent nano sensors that can be

trained to sniff up your breath yes your

breath you might say no visible but your

breath tells a story and viola the story

can be used in RBT and get you in

trouble we can use it to save your life

you know we smell different when we are

sick although our nose is not strong

enough to detect it but in the same if

the body chemistry changes when we are

sick and as a result of that chemistry

change some ball markers are released

into our breath

and give us this unique opportunity of

detecting disease just by sniffing out

the breath but there's one big challenge

here these ball markers in human breast

exist at a very low concentration down

to parts per billion here is an example

acetone is a real noun ball marker for

diabetes now if one in a million

particle in your breath is acetone

you're healthy if two in a million

particle of your press or acetone you

have diabetes so the ball markers

concentration difference between healthy

people and patients is one part per

million 1 ppm house mods that let me

visualize it the entire Harry Potter

series seven books has 1 million 84,000

170 words which makes the word

Dumbledore on page 17 of Harry Potter

and the Philosopher's Stone a little bit

less than 1 ppm so in order to detect

disease using human breath rather than

blood we need to fabricate and design

sensor super-sensitive to detect ppm or

even less ppb before nanotechnology was

impossible to precisely detect such a

tiny concentration but today to make

sensors like this one which are hundreds

of times more accurate that what we need

we can detect two parts in every billion

particles in your breath but how does

nanotechnology help us to fabricate such

a sensitive sophisticated sensor it's

all related to the available surface

area here we have a cube is the length

width and height of 20 centimeter now

what happens

to the cube surface area if I divide it

into eight cubes you see I'm not

changing the material neither its mass

nor volume I'm just creating more

surfaces so the available surface area

is doubled now imagine if I divide each

of these cubes into smaller and smaller

cubes until having cubes with 20

nanometer length if I do that we're

gonna have ten million times larger

surface area same material same mass

same volume but ten million times larger

surface area in fact by shrinking the

structural elements of my sensor down to

nanoscale

I can significantly increase the

available surface area to capture that

tiny concentration of ball Markel in

your breath nanoscience is not just one

science is a platform that includes

biology chemistry physics electronics

medicine material science and

engineering it's shown is potential to

positively impact our quality of life

and breath analysis as one of many

research areas in this field can empower

us with a better diagnostic technology

and can help us to save many many lives

in the near future thank you

[Applause]