Polymers and nanoscience

Question 1

Give two examples of where smart materials are used including how they work.

Answer 1

Some glasses frames are made using shape memory metals which means that if you accidentally bend them, you just have to put them in a bowl of hot water and they return to their original shape. This technology is also used in dental braces where the metal gets warm in the mouth and slowly returns to its remembered shape, pulling the teeth as it goes.

Question 2

How big are nanoparticles?

Answer 2

1-100 nanometers across