Nanoparticles

• Coarse particles (PM10) are 2500 - 10,000 nanometers (nm) in diameter
• Fine particles (PM2.5) are 100 - 2500 nanometers (nm) in diameter
• Nanoparticles are 1 - 100 nanometers (nm) in diameter
• Uses of nanoparticles:

  • Medicine
  • Cosmetics
  • Sun cream
  • Deodorants
  • Electronics
  • Catalysts
• Advantages of nanoparticles:

  • Generally more effective than equivalent products which don't contain nanoparticles
  • Smaller quantities needed compared to materials with normal sized particles
• Disadvantages of nanoparticles:

  • Long-term effects on health aren't fully understood
  • Could cause damage to environment if washed away
• Nanoparticles have a large surface area to volume ratio, this means that the properties of nanoparticle material may be different to the same materials in bulk.
• Units of conversion: (standard form)

  • Meters (m) are 1
  • Millimetres (mm) are 1x10^-3
  • Micrometers (µm) are 1x10^-6
  • Nanometres (nm) are 1x10^-9