Size Effect and Shape Stability of Nanoparticles

Abstract

Nanoparticle research disciplines—chemical synthesis, applied physics and devices based on their physical-chemical properties, and computational physics—have been very active fields for the last 15 years or so, because of the potential and current applications in medicine, catalysis, energy storage, environment and electronics applications. This wide spectrum of disciplines and their applications keep metallic nanoparticles as one of the most promising nanostructures and their research as one of the cornerstones of nanotechnology. In this contribution we present a comprehensive and extended geometrical description for the most common shapes and structures for metallic nanoparticles, as well as experimental results for these geometries with some variations given by truncations.

Modification of Titanium(IV) Dioxide with Small Silver Nanoparticles: Application in Photocatalysis

“…Indeed, this is consistent with the small size of the clusters (1.5–2 nm). Considering a cuboctahedral close packed arrangement, these clusters could correspond mainly to two- or three-shell nanocrystals composed of 55 or 147 atoms and having respectively a diameter of 1.6 and 2.03 nm. − For these clusters, most of the atoms (about 42/55 = 76% and 92/147 = 62%) are on the surface. In the case of Ag-ST01, despite the larger size of the silver nanoparticles, a larger signal due to silver oxides or to the interaction of silver with TiO 2 is also detected (half of the Ag atoms are implied in both additional contributions).…”

Applications of Graphene Quantum Dots in Biomedical Sensors

“…Therefore, they are quite distinct from their conventional counter-parts as far as their optical, electrical, magnetic, mechanical and catalytic behaviors are concerned. This makes them suitable for the development of biosensors [30][31][32][33]. Additionally, they are often used for signal amplification by serving as nanocarriers including electron transfer promoters, nanozymes, detector bioreceptors, electroactive labeling elements, and catalysts [34][35][36][37], hence offering novel strategies for biosensing platforms and their practical applicability.…”

A Review of Microwave Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanomaterials: Reactants, Process Parameters and Morphologies

“…This technology enables testing, controlling, regulating, modifying, processing, producing, and using structures in which at least one of the dimensions does not exceed 100 nanometres (1 nm = 10 −9 m) [ 39 ]. Materials in the nano-scale are characterised by new specific properties and phenomena, which sometimes considerably deviate from the characteristic properties of the same materials appearing in the micro-scale [ 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 ]. The observed changes to the physicochemical properties are caused primarily by two factors, namely the quantum confinement of electrons and increased share of surface atoms/ions in relation to atoms/ions present inside the particle.…”

“…The properties of nanostructures depend strongly on their size and shape [ 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 ]. The size-dependent effect of ZnO NPs has been observed on the: photocatalytic activity [ 337 , 338 , 339 , 340 , 341 , 342 ], catalyst activity [ 343 ], dielectric properties [ 344 ], piezoelectric property [ 345 , 346 ], breakdown voltage varistors [ 347 ], visible emission property of quantum dots displays [ 348 ], equilibrium constant of chemical reactions [ 349 ], gas sensing properties [ 350 , 351 , 352 ], thermal diffusivity of water nanofluid [ 353 ], photoluminescence [ 354 ], UV absorption [ 355 , 356 ], biomedical potential [ 357 ], toxicity [ 312 , 328 , 357 , 358 , 359 , 360 , 361 , 362 ], bioavailability [ 363 ], and interactions with biomatrices [ 364 ].…”