This week's topic of nanotechnology was extremely informative and applied to many different disciplines.  It was fascinating to learn about the ways in which nanotechnology can apply to topics such as food, beauty products and medicine.  Vesna and Gimzewski describe nanotechnology, stating that it, "requires input from practically every scientific discipline, but it also needs direct and intense collaboration with the humanities and the arts" (1).  This is truly an upcoming application of technology, and it is obvious that this will be an important discipline in many fields in the future.

I enjoyed listening to Dr.Gimzewski's lectures.  In one of his lectures he brought up the topic of nanotechnology and sportswear.  He described the use of silver nanoparticles in clothing material that help to provide the clothing with and antimicrobial affect (Gimzewski).  I found this particularly interesting because I have seen many advertisements for such products but never knew the science behind it.  With further research I learned many interesting things about the textile industry and how they utilize nanotechnology to create unique and useful products.  For example, one article I read by Michael Berger discussed the application of nanotechnology and textiles to make them fast-absorbing and quick-drying.  One of the challenges with this technology is getting the nanoparticles to stay in the clothing after washing.  This video below shows this technology being utilized, and in this case the nanoparticles stay in the material for up to 20 washes (Berger).

One other successful example is the use of silic and clothing.  This use of nanotechnology creates clothing that never gets water.  The liquid simply runs right off of it.  Aamir Patel is the creator, and he states, "You'll never worry about a sweat stain or dirty odors again" (Hornyak).  This interesting technology can be very useful! 

[1]

Another unique product is compression sleeves that weave copper nanoparticles in to the fabric and are supposed to reduce pain and swelling.  One brand that sells such products is Tommie Copper.  Their website claims that their products have, "helped over one million people get back to doing what they love" ("About Us").

[2]

However, in the case the use of nanotechnology, although clever, was not found to be very effective.  The use of compression sleeves has been proven to be effective in helped to reduce inflammation and improve performance, but it was found that a copper compression sleeve versus a regular compression sleeve were not different ("Copper Wear Reviews").

In conclusion, while the use of nanotechnology has many benefits and a lot of potential to create some amazing products, just like any other technology some companies take advantage of it to make money.  The copper compression sleeves is an innovative idea, it just needs some more work to make them more effective and practical.  


Image Links:
[1] http://cnet4.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/r/2013/12/17/bd7c1c53-6de8-11e3-913e-14feb5ca9861/resize/620x/d6427f05240551ddbefcea88a5780fdb/shirt.png
[2] http://www.tommiecopper.com/men-s-comfort-back-brace

Works Cited:
-"About Us." Tommie Copper. Tommie Copper, 2015. Web. 24 May 2015.
-"Copper Wear Reviews." BrightReviews. Bright Reviews, 2014. Web. 24 May 2015.
-Berger, Michael. "Nanotechnology improves wool fabrics." Nano werk. Nanowerk, 12 Oct. 2010. Web. 24 May 2015.
-Gimzewski, Jim and Victoria Vesna. "The Nanomeme Syndrome: Blurring of fact and fiction in the construction of a new science". 26 Jan. 2004:1-8. Print.
-Gimzewski, Jim. "Nanotech for Artists Part 3 - Dr.Gimzewski. UCLA. Web. 22 May 2015.
-Hornyak, Tim. "Laugh at spills and sweat with this Silic stain-proof nanotech shirt." Cnet Tech Culture. CNET, 18 Dec. 2013. Web. 24 May 2015.