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Exploring Materials - Thin Films (NanoDays 2011 and 2012)

[1] : Facilitated activity [2]

Exploring Materials - Thin Films (NanoDays 2011 and 2012)

Download all files (zip) [3]  

Overview
Exploring Materials - Thin Films (NanoDays 2011 and 2012)
Rae Ostman [4]
NISE Network product
image/jpeg iconimg_2731.jpg [5]

Description: 

"Exploring Materials - Thin Films" is a hands-on activity in which visitors create a colorful bookmark using a super thin layer of nail polish on water. They learn that a thin film creates iridescent, rainbow colors.
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.
  • The thin film reflects differently depending on how thick it is, so you can see different colors

NISE Net Content Map: 

  • Nanometer-sized things are very small, and often behave differently than larger things do.
  • Nanoscience, nanotechnology, and nanoengineering lead to new knowledge and innovations that weren't possible before.

Universal design: 

  • Provide multiple entry points and multiple ways of engagement
Credits

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.

Owning institution:

Sciencenter [6]

Checklist

Scientist reviewed? check_reviewed
Peer reviewed? check_reviewed
Visitor evaluation? check_reviewed

Nano Topics

[7]

Audience

[8]

Tags

[9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14]

Permissions

Creative Commons license image [15]
Creative Commons
Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike

Catalog section: 

Programs

What kind of program?: 

Facilitated activity

Nano topics: 

Art and nature

Audience: 

All ages

Content keywords: 

thin film
nanodays
films
irridescence
rainbow bookmark
peacock feather

Highlight this product during NanoDays?: 

This is a NanoDays product.

K-12: 

This product would be useful for K-12 teachers.
Standards

Science and Technology: 

K-4: Abilities of technological design
K-4: Understanding about science and technology

Physical science: 

K-4: Properties of objects and materials
9-12: Structure and properties of matter

Life science: 

5-8: Structure and function in living systems

Science as inquiry: 

K-4: Understanding about scientific inquiry
5-8: Understanding about scientific inquiry
9-12: Understanding about scientific inquiry
Resources
Spanish
Download zip file [3]

Download all files (ZIP) [3]

Files: 

application/msword iconExploring Materials Thin Films - Guide [16]
application/pdf iconExploring Materials Thin Films - Guide [17]
application/pdf iconExploring Materials Thin Films - Sign [18]
application/vnd.ms-excel iconExploring Materials Thin Films- Sources [19]

Spanish files: 

application/msword iconExploring Materials Thin Films - Guide (Spanish) [20]
application/pdf iconExploring Materials Thin Films - Guide (Spanish) [21]
application/pdf iconExploring Materials Thin Films - Sign & Guide (Spanish) [22]
Comments

Reaction Station Box for facilitation [23]

Submitted by Denise LeBlanc [24] on Sat, 03/24/2012 - 05:25.

The Thin Films is a very popular activity with our visitors and we do it year-round. We also have incorporated the activity into our Reaction Station 'glove box' project (a Dreyfus Foundation grant).
This modified plastic box contains the smell of the nail polish, feels like a chemistry or industry lab hood or glove box, and allows our educators to work with our youngest visitors as they make their thin films to take home.
I will try to post photos and can provide instructions to make a Reaction Station Box out of a clear storage container.

Source URL: http://nisenet.org/catalog/programs/exploring_materials_-_thin_films_nanodays_2011

Links:
[1] http://nisenet.org/catalog/programs
[2] http://nisenet.org/catalog/programs/facilitated_activity
[3] http://nisenet.org/node/5398/filefield_compress/all
[4] http://nisenet.org/users/rae_ostman
[5] http://nisenet.org/sites/default/files/images/catalog/5398/img_2731_0.jpg
[6] http://nisenet.org/community/organizations/sciencenter
[7] http://nisenet.org/category/nano-topics/art-nature
[8] http://nisenet.org/category/audience/all_ages
[9] http://nisenet.org/category/catalog-exhibits/thin-film
[10] http://nisenet.org/catalog/topics/nanodays
[11] http://nisenet.org/catalog/topics/films
[12] http://nisenet.org/catalog/topics/irridescence
[13] http://nisenet.org/catalog/topics/rainbow_bookmark
[14] http://nisenet.org/catalog/topics/peacock_feather
[15] http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/
[16] http://nisenet.org/sites/default/files/catalog/uploads/5398/materialsfilm_guide_15nov10_1.doc
[17] http://nisenet.org/sites/default/files/catalog/uploads/5398/materialsfilm_guide_15nov10_0.pdf
[18] http://nisenet.org/sites/default/files/catalog/uploads/5398/materialsfilm_sign_15nov10_0.pdf
[19] http://nisenet.org/sites/default/files/catalog/uploads/5398/thin_films_sources.xls
[20] http://nisenet.org/sites/default/files/catalog/uploads/spanish/5398/sp_materialsfilms_guide_20feb2011_0.doc
[21] http://nisenet.org/sites/default/files/catalog/uploads/spanish/5398/sp_materialsfilms_guide_20feb2011.pdf
[22] http://nisenet.org/sites/default/files/catalog/uploads/spanish/5398/6_sp_materialsfilm_guide_fb_16feb2011.pdf
[23] http://nisenet.org/print/5398#comment-349
[24] http://nisenet.org/users/denise_leblanc
[25] http://nisenet.org/user/login?destination=node%2F5398%23comment-form
[26] http://nisenet.org/user/register?destination=node%2F5398%23comment-form