Question: what kind of nanoparticals are you talking about?

Gavin Coleman answered on 10 Nov 2016:

Personally to investigate and make model systems, I work with gold nanoparticles, cos they are easy to work with, they aren’t very dangerous, and can easily be made into different shapes. However the analysis I’m working on will hopefully be able to work on any nanoparticle material or shape, which is what creates the importance of what I do.
Previous scientists have seen that depending on the shape and material of a nanoparticle, different things happen. There’s a worry that the particles made by humans for medicine or for new things like batteries and solar panels could have unpredictable effects. My work is trying to develop a way to easily screen any nanoparticle produced to see if it may be dangerous, or indeed to see if it can be repurposed into a new treatment or cure, without needing lots of time, or animal testing.