Properties of Nanoparticles

Nanoparticles are important scientific tools that have been and are being explored in various biotechnological, pharmacological and pure technological uses. They are a link between bulk materials and atomic or molecular structures.

While bulk materials have constant physical properties regardless of its size, among nanoparticles the size often dictates the physical and chemical properties. Thus, the properties of materials change as their size approaches the nanoscale and as the percentage of atoms at the surface of a material becomes significant.

For bulk materials, those larger than one micrometer (or micron), the percentage of atoms at the surface is insignificant in relation to the number of atoms in the bulk of the material.

Physical properties of nanoparticles

Nanoparticles are unique because of their large surface area and this dominates the contributions made by the small bulk of the material. Zinc oxide particles have been found to have superior UV blocking properties compared to its bulk substitute. This is one of the reasons why it is often used in the preparation of sunscreen lotions.

Other examples of the physical properties of nanoparticles:

• Color – Nanoparticles of yellow gold and gray silicon are red in color
• Gold nanoparticles melt at much lower temperatures (~300 °C for 2.5 nm size) than the gold slabs (1064 °C)
• Absorption of solar radiation in photovoltaic cells is much higher in nanoparticles than it is in thin films of continuous sheets of bulk material – since the particles are smaller, they absorb greater amount of solar radiation

Optical properties of nanoparticles

Nanoparticles also often possess unexpected optical properties as they are small enough to confine their electrons and produce quantum effects. One example of this is that gold nanoparticles appear deep red to black in solution.

Formation of suspensions

An important physical property of nanoparticles is their ability to form suspensions. This is possible since the interaction of the particle surface with the solvent is strong enough to overcome density differences. In bulk materials this interactions usually result in a material either sinking or floating in a liquid.

Magnetization and other properties of nanoparticles

Other properties unique among nanoparticles are quantum confinement in semiconductor particles, surface plasmon resonance in some metal particles and superparamagnetism in magnetic materials.

For example, ferroelectric materials smaller than 10 nm can switch their magnetisation direction using room temperature thermal energy, thus making them unsuitable for memory storage. Thus this property is not always desired in nanoparticles.

Diffusion properties of nanoparticles

At elevated temperatures especially, nanoparticles possess the property of diffusion. Sintering can take place at lower temperatures, over shorter time scales than for larger particles. Although this does not affect the density of the final product but there is a chance of agglomeration.

Hard nanoparticles

Clay nanoparticles, when incorporated into polymer matrices, increase reinforcement, leading to stronger plastics. These nanoparticles are hard, and impart their properties to the polymer (plastic). Nanoparticles have also been attached to textile fibers in order to create smart and functional clothing.

Semisolid or soft nanoparticles

Semi-solid and soft nanoparticles have been manufactured. Of these notable is the liposome. Various types of liposome nanoparticles are currently used clinically as delivery systems for anticancer drugs, antibiotics and antifungal drugs and vaccines.

Dimensionality

Nanoparticles are generally classified based on their dimensionality, morphology, composition, uniformity, and agglomeration.

• 1D nanomaterials

These are one dimensional in the nanometer scale are typically thin films or surface coatings, and include the circuitry of computer chips and the antireflection and hard coatings on eyeglasses. These have been used in electronics, chemistry, and engineering.

• 2D nanomaterials

Two-dimensional nanomaterials have two dimensions in the nanometer scale. These include 2D nanostructured films, with nanostructures firmly attached to a substrate, or nanopore filters used for small particle separation and filtration. Asbestos fibers are an example of 2D nanoparticles.

• 3D nanomaterials

Materials that are nanoscaled in all three dimensions are considered 3D nanomaterials. These include thin films deposited under conditions that generate atomic-scale porosity, colloids, and free nanoparticles with various morphologies