First, an introduction. I’m Sarah Gonzales, a fourth grade teacher at Travis Elementary in the Houston Heights. I teach all subjects, but have a real love of science. I’m excited to be part of RET so that I can better teach the overall scientific process and talk to my students about the real scientific research I am doing over the summer.
It’s been an extremely busy, productive, fun week. I’ve been learning how to operate several instruments and learning the process for synthesizing, purifying and characterizing carbon nanotubes (CNTs).
Purifying CNTs is all about ridding the sample of amorphous carbon and iron. I’ve gone through the first several steps of the purification process, including washing the CNTs with hydrochloric acid. More on this next week, when I’ll be doing this by myself!
Before and after purifying the CNT sample, you need to characterize it. The first technique uses Raman spectroscopy. Raman spectroscopy involves shining a laser on a sample and detecting the scattered light. With Raman, you learn how defective the CNTs are and if the CNTs are metal or semiconductors.
Today, I learned how to conduct thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). With this instrument, you’re basically burning part of the sample to find out what is left, such as iron.
Next week, we’ll be using scanning electron microscopy to find out about the morphology of the CNTs on a micron scale.
I can’t wait!
I am excited to see where your research takes you this summer and how you connect it to the 4th grade TEKS. Perhaps you could create an experiment where students emulate the TGA using a hot plate and balance to determine how much water was in a sample (TEK §112.15. b 4.A). Just an idea…
That’s a great idea! Thank you!
Full disclosure: I have 0 clue about what the 4th grade TEKS are, but I would imagine you could do an engineering challenge modelling the construction and/or purification of carbon nanotubes. I can’t wait to learn more about your research!