Week 8: Nanotech + Arts

Although largely invisible, nanotechnology has made presence in many parts of our lives. It is rather fascinating the idea of manipulating particles at a scale we can’t see with our eyes. Nanotechnology has provided new perspectives for artists and artworks also inspired many of the innovations in the field of nanotechnology.

A buckyball molecule

Buckyballs, C60, are among one of the first discovered nanoparticles. They are composed of carbon atoms linked to three other carbon atoms by covalent bonds and have a spherical structure. Because of its properties, buckyballs have been used in several fields. For instance, it is used to reduce the growth of bacteria in pipes and membranes in water systems. It is also widely used in medical fields. Scientists initially were unable to come up with the structure of buckyballs. However, inspired by Buchminster Fuller’s architecture, scientists eventually discovered the football-like structure of buckyballs. I think this is a beautiful example of how arts inspired science.

The Biosphere by Buchminster Fuller which resembles the structure of a C60 molecule

Artists and scientists are also collaborating to make art out of nanotechnology. Researchers at IBM Research released a short animation, A Boy and His Atom, on YouTube in 2013 which tells the story of a boy and a wayward atom who meet and become friends. The animation was done by researchers who moved around carbon monoxide molecules, a kind of nano-sized particle, with a scanning tunneling microscope. The animation is now the world's smallest animation.

A frame from A Boy and His Atom

As nanotechnology develops, it is quite exciting for us to see what innovations nanotech can bring us both scientifically and artistically.

Sources

Ghani, Mikal. “Scientists are becoming artists, thanks to 'NanoArt''” PRI. N.p., Dec 2016.

Entin, Ari. “IBM Research Makes World’s Smallest Movie Using Atoms” IBM News, n.d. Web. 25 Dec. 2012.

Syoox, Paul . “25 years of C60 : Nature Nanotechnology” Scientific American. N.p., 2012. Web. 26 Oct. 2012.


Elizabeth, Landau. “The discovery of buckminsterfullerene” CNN. N.p., 2012. Web. 26 Oct. 2003.

Phong, Naureen. “Can Art Make Nanotechnology Easier to Understand?” PLOS. N.p., 2012. Web. 26 Oct. 2016.