Updated September 2011 Nanotechnology and Transportation.

Updated September 2011

Nanotechnologyand

Transportation

Updated September 2011

Man and Machine—A love story

cc by R

edsimo

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Updated September 2011

For generations, people have had a special bond and admiration for the car of their dreams.

Advertising artwork by Edward Penfield circa 1915

Updated September 2011

Many spend hours washing, waxing and buffing the paint so the vehicle looks the best it can be—shiny and new. A scratch on the paint of this revered automobile leads to great disappointment.

What if there was a product that when applied to the body of the car would protect it from scratches and the weather?

Well, now there is!

Updated September 2011

Car waxes are being developed using nanotechnology.

Image ©EagleOne

Updated September 2011

Typically, when car wax is applied to the car and buffed, it creates a shine that is permeable. The new waxes that have been created using nanotechnology seep down into invisible holes in the body of the car. The particles in the nanotechnology wax are so small that they allow the wax to penetrate the miniscule holes in the body of the car. Therefore, scratches and minor dings can simply be wiped away.

Updated September 2011

In the activity, you will lightly scratch an auto body part with 400 grit sandpaper. Then you will test a nanowax against an ordinary wax to see which fills light scratches better.

Image by HighPoint Learning

Updated September 2011

Get a used auto body part from a

repair shop. Repair shops

recycle all the old dented parts for

scrap and will probably give you

one. Label several places on

the part to take before and after

photos.

Updated September 2011

Nanowax

Before AfterImages by HighPoint Learning

Updated September 2011

Nanowax

Before AfterImages by HighPoint Learning

Updated September 2011

This module is one of a series designed to introduce faculty and high school students to the basic concepts of nanotechnology. Each module includes a PowerPoint presentation, discussion questions, and hands-on activities, when applicable. The series was funded in part by: The National Science FoundationGrant DUE-0702976and the Oklahoma Nanotechnology Education Initiative Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in the material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the Oklahoma Nanotechnology Education Initiative. 

Updated September 2011

Image Credits

Geoghegan, Simon GP (Photographer). A Aston Martin DP215 head.jpg [Digital Image]. Wikimedia Commons(commons.wikimedia.org)

Penfield, Edward. (Artist). Advertising artwork for Pierce Automobiles. [Painting]. United States. Wikimedia Commons (commons.wikimedia.org)

Updated September 2011

References Consumer Products Database (2011). The Project on Emerging Technologies. Retrieved from http://www.nanotechproject.org/inventories/consumer/browse/categories/automotive/exterior/