Question: What are nanoparticles and what are they for?

Ayesha Sharif answered on 23 Nov 2020:

Hi, a nanoparticle (or NP) is a very tiny particle ranges between 1 to 100 nanometers (one nanometer is equal to 0.00000001 meter) in size. Nanoparticles are very small; we cannot see them with naked eye. We use microscopes to see a nanoparticle. They have potential applications in several areas due to their amazing properties associated with size, shape, inner structure, and surface properties. When a material goes from bulk to a nanoscale size, its properties are totally changed than that of bulk. For example, the melting temperature of bulk gold is 1337 K, for gold nanoparticles the melting temperature drops as the size of the nanoparticle become smaller. This is why we use nanoparticles. 🙂