14 Facts About Nanoparticles

Nanoparticles are usually distinguished from microparticles, "fine particles", and "coarse particles", because their smaller size drives very different physical or chemical properties, like colloidal properties and ultrafast optical effects or electric properties.

Nanoparticles easily pass through common filters, such as common ceramic candles, so that separation from liquids requires special nanofiltration techniques.

Nanoparticles occur widely in nature and are objects of study in many sciences such as chemistry, physics, geology and biology.

Nanoparticles are naturally produced by many cosmological, geological, meteorological, and biological processes.

Nanoparticles were used by artisans since prehistory, albeit without knowledge of their nature.

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Nanoparticles occur in a great variety of shapes, which have been given many informal names such as nanospheres, nanorods, nanochains, nanostars, nanoflowers, nanoreefs, nanowhiskers, nanofibers, and nanoboxes.

Nanoparticles dispersed in a medium of different composition, the interfacial layer — formed by ions and molecules from the medium that are within a few atomic diameters of the surface of each particle — can mask or change its chemical and physical properties.

Nanoparticles often develop or receive coatings of other substances, distinct from both the particle's material and of the surrounding medium.

Nanoparticles formed by this method are then separated from the solvent and soluble byproducts of the reaction by a combination of evaporation, sedimentation, centrifugation, washing, and filtration.

Nanoparticles can be linked to biological molecules that can act as address tags, directing them to specific sites within the body specific organelles within the cell, or causing them to follow specifically the movement of individual protein or RNA molecules in living cells.

Nanoparticles have different analytical requirements than conventional chemicals, for which chemical composition and concentration are sufficient metrics.

Nanoparticles have other physical properties that must be measured for a complete description, such as size, shape, surface properties, crystallinity, and dispersion state.

Nanoparticles are studied for possible applications as dietary supplements for delivery of biologically active substances, for example mineral elements.

Nanoparticles have been attached to textile fibers in order to create smart and functional clothing.