Watch the video titled \"Nanotechnology Today - Fuel Cells, Buckyballs and Carbo

Question

Watch the video titled "Nanotechnology Today - Fuel Cells, Buckyballs and Carbon Nanotubes - Bytesize Science" (7 min 24 sec) under the Nanotechnology terms section of the Science Corner. You can also view the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndJlgTkm0oQ. Next, use the Internet, Strayer Library, or go to this open source e-journal Website at http://link.springer.com/journal/13204 to research articles on nanotechnology. Then, select one (1) product of your interest that uses nanotechnology, and describe the overall benefits and drawbacks as well as the positive and negative impact that the product you have chosen has on human lives. Identify one (1) challenge (e.g., safety issue, ethical issue, etc.) that is related to the product in question and describe one (1) change that you think law makers should make to the current regulations over nanotechnology.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndJlgTkm0oQ

Watch the video titled "Why We Need Rare Earth Elements" (3 min 18 sec) under the Rare Earth Elements terms section of the Science Corner. You can also view the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqoQfN9DgNs. Next, identify at least one (1) challenge (e.g., economic impact, environmental concerns, human rights, etc.) that is associated with mining rare earth elements. Suggest one (1) way for the government to mitigate the challenge in question.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqoQfN9DgNs

Fresh water is vital resource. Is it possible to use icebergs as a source of freshwater? What obstacles – technological, social, environmental & political – do you foresee for such an endeavor?

Explanation / Answer

1) Nanotechnology has had a profound impact on our daily lives. Be it their usage in filteration, drug delivery, solar cells or in nano-fabrics or the soon-to-be commercialised electrical transmission using graphene.

As per the suggested video, I have chosen the "Nanobatteries and Fuel Cells" wherein the use of Platinum as a catalyst is having a visible impact on the developing fuel storage industry. The use of Ru-core/Pt-shell nanoparticles or the Pt-Ru alloy nanoparticles have overcome the earlier prototypes of fuel cell grossly involving the use of bulk platinum for conduction.

(A recent development by Samsung in enhancing the Methanol-based fuel process using Pt-Ru nanoparticles: http://www.ineffableisland.com/2010/01/samsung-reveals-durable-nano-ptru.html)

2) As per the suggested video, related to the "Why We Need Rare-Earth Elements":

3) Fresh water resouces is of utmost importance for our survival. We are slowly experience a lack of such resources for our consumption on a global level. The use of iceberg - a storehouse of fresh water, can be a viable suggestion. But there involves virtually many factors that are a hindrance -

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