University of Wisconsin-Madison Materials Research Science and Engineering Center Interdisciplinary Education Group

Exploring the Nanoworld > Online Resources > LEGO Models

Exploring the Nanoworld with LEGO^® Bricks

The purpose of this website and booklet is to show how various physical and chemical principles related to nanoscale science and technology can be demonstrated with LEGO® models. Three-dimensional models are excellent tools for grasping structure-function relationships.

There are a number of reasons to consider using LEGO® bricks for this purpose. First, many people are familiar with LEGO® bricks, and most models can be built with a level of mechanical sophistication that does not intimidate or frustrate the user. Second, LEGO® bricks typically have many connection points, allowing tremendous flexibility in the structures that can be built. A set of bricks can be used to model structures of matter and the techniques used to study them.

The authors are grateful to the National Science Foundation, through the University of Wisconsin-Madison Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) for Nanostructured Materials and Interfaces, and to LEGO® Dacta® for support of this project. We invite your comments on this booklet and website.

Site Contents:

• Exploring the Nanoworld with LEGO^® Bricks - a FREE book featuring:
  • Structures at the Nanoscale
  • Probing the Structures of Materials at the Nanoscale
  • Structure-Property Relationships at the Nanoscale
  • Building Structures at the Nanoscale
  • Additional Instructions for Constructing Models
• LEGO^® Crystals - contains building instructions for many additional atomic-scale models not included in the book
• LEGO^® Periodic Table - links elements and their crystal model building instructions
• LEGO^® Diffractometer - models X-ray diffraction using a LEGO® NXT® system
• Instructional Materials/Products

If you have comments or questions about this project, or have inquiries about special bricks, feel free to contact:

Dr. Dean Campbell
Department of Chemistry
Bradley University
1501 West Bradley University
Peoria, IL 61625
Phone: (309) 677-3029
E-mail: campbell@bradley.edu

Exploring the Nanoworld   |   MRSEC Nanostructured Interfaces
Copyright © 2008 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under DMR Grant No. 0520527
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.