Transcript Nugget

Nanotribology Studies of Petroleum Derivatives for
Nanotechnology
Tonya Coffey, Appalachian State University
Recent research has suggested that alcohols such as
propanol, ethanol, butanol, or pentanol might make
excellent vapor phase lubricants for micromachines. In
a collaboration with Dr. Kim of Penn State, we are
using Quartz Crystal Microbalances to investigate the
fundamentals behind how alcohols adsorb onto self
assembled monolayers, often suggested as solid
lubricants for MEMS devices.
An interesting side project has been a study of the Diet
Coke and Mentos reaction. Our work on this topic, soon to
be published in the American Journal of Physics, has
explained this popular chemistry and physics
demonstration in detail. Acquiring contact angle
measurements for various sodas has enabled us to
explain how key ingredients in soda pop lower the work
required for bubble formation. Atomic force microscopy
images of several candies, including Mentos, explain how
surface roughness affects the explosion.