What are nanoparticles?

Nanoparticles are tiny particles that are measured in nanometres, typically between 1 and 100 nanometres in size.

Nanoparticles are incredibly small particles that exist on a nanoscale. To give you an idea of how small they are, a nanometre is one billionth of a metre. That's about 1/80,000 of the diameter of a human hair! These particles can be made from a variety of materials, including metals, ceramics, and polymers.

The unique thing about nanoparticles is that they have a much larger surface area compared to their volume. This is because as the size of a particle decreases, the proportion of atoms on its surface increases. This makes them incredibly reactive and useful in a variety of applications. For example, in medicine, nanoparticles can be used to deliver drugs directly to cancer cells, reducing the side effects of chemotherapy. In electronics, they can be used to make smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient devices.

Nanoparticles also have different properties compared to the same materials in bulk. For instance, gold in bulk is a shiny, yellow metal that doesn't react with oxygen. But gold nanoparticles can appear red or purple and can react with oxygen. This is because the properties of materials can change when their size is reduced to the nanoscale.

However, the use of nanoparticles also raises some concerns. Because they are so small, they can easily enter the human body and the environment, and we don't fully understand their potential impacts yet. Therefore, it's important to handle them with care and conduct further research into their effects.