Lesson two

1. Study text A. Try to understand all details. Use a dictionary if necessary

Text a Nanomaterials

1. For the last few years, the promising area of nanotechnology has attracted both industrial and academic support. Nanomaterials, defined as materials with at least one phase having one dimension in the range of the nanometre, has clearly benefited from this wave of activity. New fabrication routes are being developed, although much work remains to be done to increase the knowledge and usability of these new materials.

2. Nanomaterials have properties that are applicable for a wide range of everyday objects. The benefits of carbon nanotubes used as conductive wires, or polymer-based nanocomposites with outstanding properties (fire resistance, conductivity, impact resistance, stiffness), of nanostructured ceramics, are early examples of the potential of nanomaterials.

3. Nanomaterials can be subdivided into nanoparticles, nanofilms and nanocomposites. The focus of nanomaterials is a bottom up approach to structures and functional effects whereby the building blocks of materials are designed and assembled in controlled ways.

4. Nanoparticles can theoretically be produced artificially from nearly any chemical. Such engineered nanomaterials are commonly defined as materials designed and produced to have structural features with at least one dimension of 100 nanometers or less . Presently, most nanoparticles that are in use have been made from transition metals, silicon, carbon (carbon nanotubes, fullerenes) and metal oxides (zinc oxide and titanium dioxide). In some cases, engineered nanoparticles exist as nanocrystals composed of a number of compounds such as silicon and metals (as is the case for quantum dots).

5. In electronics, the present method used in the manufacturing of electronic devices is called “topdown” (i.e. manufacturing nanoscale components and materials from larger starting materials) though scientists are now also developing a new approach based on self-assembly of atoms and molecules, the so-called “bottom up” approach.

6. Top down nanotechnology has enabled the production of progressively smaller structures to be made using lithography and related techniques for the construction of electronic components and micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMs). Top down nanotechnology has, for example, led to the hugely successful semiconductor- and information-and communications-technology- (ICT-) industries, as well as the manufacture of tiny micromechanical machines for sensing and actuation (MEMs).

7. Bottom-up technology is a promising alternative to top down one which enables building of nanodevices and/or nanomachines starting from molecular building blocks instead of lithographically carving bigger pieces of matter into smaller and smaller pieces. The self-assembling properties of biological systems, such as DNA molecules, may be used to control the organisation of nanoparticles such as carbon nanotubes. This may lead to the ability to ‘grow’ parts of an integrated circuit, rather than relying on top down techniques.

II. Say whether the following statements are true or false:

1. The promising area of nanotechnology has attracted only industrial support. 2. Nanomaterials do not have any properties that are applicable for a wide range of everyday objects 3. Nanoparticles can theoretically be produced artificially from definite chemicals. 4. The self-assembling properties of biological systems, such as DNA molecules, may be used to control information-and communications-technology- (ICT-) industries.

III. Answer the following questions:

1. What are nanomaterials?

2. What properties do nanomaterils have?

3. What are the main approaches of nanotechnology?

4. What have most nanoparticles been made from?

IV. In paragraph 4. find the English equivalents of the following words:

искусственно, химический продукт, определять, в настоящее время, меньше, переходные металлы, кремний, углерод, фуллерены, существовать, квантовые точки, конструкционные нанотрубки;

V. Translate paragraph 5.

VI. Read paragraph 5 and say whether bottom-up technology is a promising alternative to top down one.

7. Write out of the text the words and phrases describing the properties of nanomaterials

8. Divide text A into logical parts and find the topical sentence of each part.

IX. Tell the story of nanomaterials using the topical sentences.