![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lms.nanoproject.eu\/lms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Obrazek2.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe previously discussed lotus effect is not only used in the animal and plant world to clean surfaces. There are also numerous applications for so-called nanocoatings at home. Coated windows virtually clean themselves when it rains, while conventional windows continue to get dirty. In addition to windowpanes, wood and furniture are also frequently sealed with nanotechnology products. This prevents dirt, water, oil, and grease from melting onto the surface. Nano cosmetics for household items, based on the hydrophobic coatings for cars, is very popular at the moment. With the help of nanotechnology, special sealants have now also been developed for textiles, which have a dirt-, oil- and water-repellent effect.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
| \n Definition<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n The term hydrophobic comes from ancient Greek and literally means “water-avoiding”. By definition, hydrophobicity describes the association of non-polar molecules or groups in an aqueous environment, due to the tendency of water to exclude non-polar groups or molecules. As a result, they can no longer mix with water and usually cause it to bead up on surfaces.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n Nanotechnology is also used in everyday technology. In the meantime, the introduction of the multi-touch screen is more than 10 years ago, and the multi-touch display has also established itself as a standard in industry. Good electrical conductivity combined with high optical transparency is one of the core requirements for the touchscreen. Transparency is made possible using a transparent conductive film (TCF). Initially, ITO (indium tin oxide) was used almost exclusively for this purpose. This could be processed by etching or laser irradiation.<\/p>\n The further development of the technology brought with it additional requirements. To meet them, the ITO films were replaced by alternative technologies due to their low UV stability and lack of mechanical flexibility. These include metal mesh (mostly copper-based), silver nanowires (AgNW), PEDOT (conductive polymer) or sensors based on copper wires. Since these materials also have different weak points, transparent conductive films based on carbon nanotube hybrids have been developed. This material is also highly conductive and transparent, can be processed very easily and is therefore very flexible to adapt to the user surface.<\/p>\n Carbon nanotubes are individual tubes made of carbon. They have diameters in the range of typically 1 to 50 nanometres, are extremely stable and have high strength. Depending on the design, the single-walled or multi-walled tubes can range from insulating to semi-conductive to fully conductive. If, for example, carbon nanotubes in the form of a screen-printable paste are combined with a film of silver nanowires, the result is the desired CNT hybrid film.<\/p>\n The combination of the two materials uses the advantages of the individual components, making the hybrid material more conductive and transparent than the two individual materials.<\/p>\n Important<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Carbon nanotubes (CNT) are molecular nanotubes made of carbon. The carbon atoms here adopt a honeycomb-like structure with hexagons. The diameter of the tubes is typically in the range of 1 to 50 nm, but tubes with a diameter of only 0.4 nm have also been produced.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n A milkshake whose taste can be influenced by how long it is shaken. This idea could soon become reality. The so-called nanocapsules, which are between ten and one hundred nanometres small, consist mostly of fat molecules. They can be filled with vitamins, flavours, or dyes as desired and prepared in such a way that they only dissolve when exposed to certain stimuli, such as mechanical force.<\/p>\n The nanocontainers are particularly interesting for so-called “functional food”, i.e. all those foods that are already artificially enriched with vitamins and nutrients. In Australia, for example, a bread baked with fish oil was brought to market, whose cholesterol-lowering omega-3 fatty acids only unfold in the stomach.<\/p>\n Another idea would be to enrich dairy products with calcium, as it is needed for many different bodily functions. However, the increase in calcium leads to the milk becoming lumpy after a certain amount. Nanocontainers could also help here by packing the calcium into a capsule made of proteins.<\/p>\n However, nanoparticles in food are no longer a novelty. They have been in some foods for years without being noticed.<\/p>\n Titanium dioxide particles are widely used and are mainly used in baking agents, but also in sweets, chewing gums and chocolates. The additive makes the coating of the food glossy and smooth. Silicon dioxide is typically used as an anti-caking and free-flowing aid, especially in powdery foods of all kinds such as coffee whitener, soup, or spice powders. In ketchup, silicon dioxide causes it to flow better from the bottle.<\/p>\n Remember<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Particles in the nanometre range can change the properties of food, for example to make it more free-flowing or liquid.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n Nanoparticles offer interesting new possibilities in areas of lightweight construction through the development of very resilient, durable and at the same time extremely lightweight composites.<\/p>\n Composite materials result from the combination of different types of materials. In the process, the positive properties of the different components are combined with each other. In the case of CFRP (carbon fibre-reinforced plastic), carbon fibres are combined with different resins. The carbon fibres cause the material to attain high rigidity and strength. In addition, the reinforcing fibres ensure high vibration resistance, low thermal expansion, as well as permanent temperature resistance and freedom from corrosion. The most significant advantage, however, is the excellent strength-to-weight ratio of the material.<\/p>\n Lightweight components, which have to withstand high loads, benefit enormously from this property. Carbon fibres make it possible to reduce the weight of structural components in vehicles by up to 80 %.<\/p>\n Weight reduction in motor vehicles is of great importance, especially with regard to environmental and climate protection. The weight savings through CFRPs ensure significantly lower fuel consumption of vehicles, which goes hand in hand with decreasing CO2<\/sub> emissions.<\/p>\n In addition, the mass reduction ensures that smaller-dimensioned brakes and engines still deliver the same driving performance.<\/p>\n In addition to its low weight, the functional material also has excellent mechanical properties. By specifically aligning the carbon fibres in the direction of the load, the strength can be increased enormously and the amount of material used can be reduced.<\/p>\n These high-tech materials can not only be found in automobiles or planes, but also in recreational objects such as bicycles or badminton rackets.<\/p>\n Important<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Due to the excellent ratio of weight to strength, carbon fibres are often used in lightweight construction. Weight savings of up to 80 % can be achieved.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_vibebp_attr":"","_vibebp_dimensions":"","_vibebp_responsive_height":"","_vibebp_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"module-tag":[],"class_list":["post-1207","unit","type-unit","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lms.nanoproject.eu\/lms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/unit\/1207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lms.nanoproject.eu\/lms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/unit"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lms.nanoproject.eu\/lms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/unit"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lms.nanoproject.eu\/lms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lms.nanoproject.eu\/lms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1207"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lms.nanoproject.eu\/lms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/unit\/1207\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1237,"href":"https:\/\/lms.nanoproject.eu\/lms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/unit\/1207\/revisions\/1237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lms.nanoproject.eu\/lms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"module-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lms.nanoproject.eu\/lms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/module-tag?post=1207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} |
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lms.nanoproject.eu\/lms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Obrazek3.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lms.nanoproject.eu\/lms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Obrazek4.jpg\")
Nanotechnology is often associated with high-tech, such as computers or spaceships. But the food industry also benefits from the tiny helpers.<\/p>\n