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Exploring Products - Nano Sand

In this activity, learners explore how water behaves differently when it comes in contact with nano sand and regular sand.

DESCRIPTION

"Exploring Products - Nano Sand" is a hands-on activity exploring how water behaves differently when it comes in contact with nano sand and regular sand. Visitors learn about the hydrophobic properties of nano sand. "Explore Science - Zoom info Nano Mystery Sand" (2016) version designed for groups and community outreach.

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  • Group of two learners and two facilitators observe as one learner carefully applies drops of water onto colored sand
  • a person adds water droplets to blue colored sand using an eyedropper
  • Exploring Products - Nano Sand's pink superhydrophobic sand.  A person is holding some pink sand with a big drop of water on top.
  • Two learners apply water droplets to hydrophobic sand wising a eyedropper
  • Group of two learners and two facilitators observe as one learner carefully applies drops of water onto colored sand
  • a person adds water droplets to blue colored sand using an eyedropper
  • Exploring Products - Nano Sand's pink superhydrophobic sand.  A person is holding some pink sand with a big drop of water on top.
  • Two learners apply water droplets to hydrophobic sand wising a eyedropper

DESCRIPTION

"Exploring Products - Nano Sand" is a hands-on activity exploring how water behaves differently when it comes in contact with nano sand and regular sand. Visitors learn about the hydrophobic properties of nano sand. "Explore Science - Zoom info Nano Mystery Sand" (2016) version designed for groups and community outreach.

JUMP TO BROWSE RELATED RESOURCES

TRAINING VIDEOS

OBJECTIVES

BIG IDEA

The way a material behaves on the macroscale is affected by its structure on the nanoscale

LEARNING GOALS

  • The way a material behaves on the macroscale is affected by its stucture on the nanoscale.

  • Hydrophobic sand is coated with a nanometer-thick layer of a silicon compound, which makes it repel water.

NANO CONTENT MAP

Nanoscience, nanotechnology, and nanoengineering lead to new knowledge and innovations that weren't possible before.

Credits

YEAR CREATED
2010
OWNING INSTITUTION

Science Museum of Minnesota

FUNDING

Developed for the NISE Network with funding from the National Science Foundation under Award Numbers 0532536 and 0940143. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this product are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.

PERMISSIONS

Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 3.0 United States (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US).
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DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

NISE Network products are developed through an iterative collaborative process that includes scientific review, peer review, and visitor evaluation in accordance with an inclusive audiences approach. Products are designed to be easily edited and adapted for different audiences under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license. To learn more, visit our Development Process page.