3. NANOTECHNOLOGY VOCABULARY
● Nanocomposite: is a multiphase solid material where one of the
phases has one, two or three dimensions of less than 100
nanometers (nm).
● Nanoscale: structures with a length scale applicable to
nanotechnology
● Nanostructured: is an object of intermediate size between
microscopic and molecular structures
● Nanotube: is a nanometer-scale tube-like structure
Nanoscale
4. SPORTS TECHNOLOGY
Sports technology has found its greatest proponents among
professional athletes. Advances in sports equipment have
undoubtedly played a role in the achievement of these
athletes in their respective fields.
5. Taking a peek at nature's solutions is
always a good idea. And nature has quite a
lot of examples of tough materials. If we
look for an example for a material that is
strong and good at deflecting cracks, we
should look no further than a simple
abalone.
At the nanoscale, an abalone shell is made
of thousands of layers of tiles made of
calcium carbonate (more commonly known as
chalk). Each tile is about 10 micrometers
across and 0.5 micrometers thick. They are
organized in a highly ordered brick-like
structure and bound by a protein adhesive.
This glue is weak enough to permit the
layers to slip apart, absorbing the energy
of a heavy blow in the process.
NATURE’S NANOCOMPOSITES
Vocabulary:
➢ Peek: fer una ullada
➢ Tough: dur
➢ Crack: trencar-se
➢ Abalone: ostra
➢ Shell: carcassa
➢ Layer: capa
➢ Weak: dèbil/fràgil
➢ Tile: mossaïc
6. Four goals may be seen as important in order to create carbon nanotube
composites that are more structured:
● the nanotubes must be long in order to effectively carry loads;
● they must be aligned in rows;
● there must be a high ratio of CNTs to the polymer or resin used to
hold them together;
● the nanotubes must be as straight as possible in order for the
material to bear weight evenly.
Vocabulary:
➢ Row: fila
➢ Straight: recte
➢ Bear: suportar
➢ Weight: pes
➢ Evenly: horitzontalment
7. NANOTECHNOLOGY IN SPORTS AND RUNNING
SHOES
Running shoes are designed to absorb energy, to make them comfortable and protect your feet. To
do this they have to be soft and squishy, but if you walked on a soft material it would flatten
out, getting deader and deader as you went through the day.
To stop this, we need to add hard bits to the formulation. These prevent the shape squishing
too far, and allow it to rebound after each step. As a result, the running shoe stays in shape.
The nanotechnology comes in because the soft and the hard bits we use are the size of polymer
molecules. Nike develops shoes with sensor systems could improve quickness.
Vocabulary:
➢ Squishy/Soft material: tou
➢ Shape: forma
8. The core of the running shoe is a polymer foam, blown by a gas generated
when the polymer is made. In a simple polymer for running shoes, two
different types of molecule - of different sizes and stiffness - might be
used. Combining them in the correct ratio gives a sole that absorbs energy
and recovers it's shape, after it has been compressed.
Vocabulary:
➢ Core: centre, nucli
➢ Foam: espuma
➢ Stiffness: rigidesa
10. NANOFIBERS BUILD STRONGER, TOUGHER BIKES
AND PLANES
● Finding materials that are both
tough and strong is one of the
biggest obstacles facing those who
design everything from bridges to
bicycles and bullet-proof vests.
● But a new nanofiber from the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL)
could be the better material for
construct sport gear.
● It’s a type of synthetic polymer
related to acrylic.
● You could use this material to build
objects that are simultaneously
resilient and light-weight.
