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Nanoparticles and materials
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Materials are chosen for their properties. Nanoparticles behave differently from the same substance in bulk. Separate Chemistry only.
Nanoparticles
Between 1 and 100 nm across (a few hundred atoms).
They have a very large surface area to volume ratio, which makes them useful as catalysts and in sun creams, medicines and self-cleaning windows.
Risks: they may enter cells and their long-term effects are not fully known.
They have a very large surface area to volume ratio, which makes them useful as catalysts and in sun creams, medicines and self-cleaning windows.
Risks: they may enter cells and their long-term effects are not fully known.
Types of material
Choosing materials
Match the properties to the use, and consider cost. A bike frame needs to be strong and light: carbon-fibre composite or aluminium alloy.
A cube of side 10 nm. Find its surface area to volume ratio.
- Surface area = 6 × 100 = 600 nm2
- Volume = 1000 nm3
- 600 ÷ 1000
Answer: 0.6 per nm
Nanoparticles are 1 to 100 nm with a huge surface area to volume ratio, useful as catalysts but with unknown risks. Ceramics, polymers, metals and composites are chosen by matching properties to use.
The interactive lesson includes the diagrams for this topic.
Check you have got it
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