B) Explain the words in bold from the text and make up sentences of your own. Use English-English dictionaries to help you

Nanotechnology is about the manipulation of matter at the nanoscale. A nanometre is a billionth of a metre (m=10-9 m). It is an 80.000th of a diameter of a hair. Nanotechnology opens up new possibilities in material design. On this level material behaves differently to how it does on the macro-level; objects can change colour and shape much more easily and fundamental properties such as force, surface/mass relationship, conductibility and elasticity can be improved in order to create material that can provide a better performance than present ones. The possibilities provided by nanotechnology embrace the most disparate sectors, from electronics to medicine, from energy to aeronautics, to name but a few; building is one of these and is considered a promising area of application for nanotechnology. The considerable modifications in materials and, consequently, building processes indicates that nanotechnology can provide radical and systematic innovation in architecture; the extent to which, and the manner in which architects, engineers, researchers, builders and producers embrace this innovation will determine the future of architectural operations.

(F. Scalisi, Nano-Structured Materials in New and Existing Buildings)

9 Fill in the gaps with derivatives of the words in capitals:

AEROGEL Brown University 1)_____ has several aerogel technologies available for licensing, including one that can be used as a coating to permit 2)_____ on materials that normally cannot be printed on. These aerogels can bind 3)_____ gases for use as detectors, and can be colored or ground into very small particles and applied like ink using a printer. They are also transparent and have a low refractive index, making them 4)_____ as light-weight optical materials. Also aerogels offer 2-3 times the insulating value of other common insulating materials. Figure 12.3 Aerogel: the World’s Lightest Solid   THIN-FILM INSULATION Insulating nanocoatings can also be applied as thin films to glass and fabrics. Masa Shade Curtains, for example, are fiber sheets coated with a nanoscale stainless steel film. Thanks to 5)_____ steel's ability to absorb infrared rays, these curtains are able to block out sunlight, 6) _____ room temperatures in summer by 2-3º C more than conventional products, and reduce electrical expenses for air conditioning, according to 7) _____ claims. SELF-CLEANING COATINGS Self-cleaning surfaces have become a reality thanks to photocatalytic coatings containing titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles. These nanoparticles initiate photocatalysis, a process by which dirt is broken down by 8) _____ to the sun’s ultraviolet rays and washed away by rain. Volatile organic compounds are 9) _____ into carbon dioxide and water. Today’s self-cleaning surfaces are made by 10) _____ a thin nanocoating film, painting a nanocoating on, or integrating nanoparticles into the surface layer of a substrate material. Self-cleaning facade systems can be found in the Jubilee Church in Rome by Richard Meier and Partners (Figure 12.4.), the Marunouchi Building in downtown Tokyo, the General Hospital in Carmarthen, UK, and Herzog & de Meuron’s Bond Street Apartment Building in New York. Figure 12.4. Jubilee Church in Rome by Richard Meier and Partners

CURRENT PRINT VARY USE STAIN LOW MANUFACTURE EXPOSE OXIDIZE APPLY

 

10 Use the words below to complete the sentences: