Nanotechnology: A Maker’s Course

Welcome to Nanotechnology! In this module, you will learn some of the basics of nanofabrication and nanocharacterization techniques as well as specific applications of nanotechnology in commercial products. You’ll be able to explain why a cleanroom and vacuum environment are necessary for creating nanotechnology products. Finally, you will be able to explain how we use light, x-rays, and electron beams to characterize objects at the nanoscale. For more detailed learning objectives for each video, please see the first reading.

After this module, you will be able to explain sample preparation and imaging techniques used in scanning electron microscopy. You will also be able to explain the benefits of environmental scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, you will discover how energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy can be paired with scanning electron microscopy to gain elemental information about samples.

In this module, we will look at transmission electron microscopy and cryo-transmission electron microscopy. You will learn to describe the basic function of the equipment as well as how samples are prepared and imaged using these techniques.

In this module, we will see demonstrations of micro-computed tomography, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and optical spectroscopy. You will learn the basic function of the equipment and how samples are prepared and measured.