Interactive exhibit explores everyday uses of nanotechnology

A fascinating exploration into nanotechnology was an extra treat for visitors to Danville Science Center on Saturday as the center celebrated Nano Days.

A series of displays and interactive experiments showed visitors what scientists working in nanotechnology are doing to bring the tiny science into everyday products.

“We want to show people what nano is about,” Bob Lenk, president of Luna nanoWorks, of Danville, said. “It’s a unit of length, and a nano is a very tiny unit.”

Lenk said a nanometer in the light spectrum is about one four-hundredth of the wavelength of light — or the size of molecule of sugar.

His company is working on medical uses for the science, including ways to improve MRIs — magnetic resonance imaging, used in diagnosing illnesses — to show more detail.

“It helps improve our ability to see inside living materials,” Lenk said, noting that experiments on mice have shown that an agent they are working on will brighten images of its aorta and kidneys.

“Other labs in the world have been trying to do this,” Lenk said. “But our scientists here in Danville have done it.”

Another project at Luna nanoWorks is accelerating and/or stimulating hair growth for people with male-pattern baldness, alopecia or hair loss as a result of chemotherapy.

Lenk said he expects it will take another five years before the process is approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

“It’s a long process, and an expensive one,” Lenk said. “It has to be proven safe and effective; we wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Martin Drees, a scientist at Luna nanoWorks, talked about an alternative energy program the company is working on that would turn sunlight into electricity using much smaller, more flexible and lightweight materials than those currently used in solar panels. The new material looks more like a piece of film and is very flexible. Unlike the current solar panel material, it can be bent without breaking.

Drees said when fully developed, a small piece of the material could be put on a cell phone or laptop computer, and it would stay charged without ever having to be plugged into a wall outlet.

“It’s in the development stage,” Drees said. “We’re working to make it more efficient so it’s commercially viable.”

Bennis and Janet Butler wandered from display to display and were amazed at what was labeled “Magic Sand,” a type of sand that uses nanotechnology to repel water but soaks up oil.

“It was invented to clean up oil spills, but it’s too expensive to use,” Adrianne Taylor told the Butlers.

Taylor, and Taylor Hayden, members of George Washington High School’s Key Club, were volunteering at the Science Center for Nano Days.

Nano Days kicked off Friday at the Institute for Advanced Learning & Research with a lecture on nanotechnology for the public and special training for area teachers.