Nanoparticle chemical composition

However, the size of nanoparticles alone may not be the critical factor in the toxicity of nanoparticles. Chemical composition is another important parameter for the characterization of nanomaterials, which comprise nearly all substance classes—... 

In our case the chemical composition and, consequently, the structure of the iron oxide is changed with time during reaction. Gold diffusion from film and nanoparticles underneath may occur but seem not to be the decisive factor in promoting the CO oxidation activity. 

All the examples gathered here demonstrate the possibility to control the growth of metallic and oxide nanoparticles using biological templates. A wide variety of chemical composition, particle size and assemblage can be obtained via these approaches. Moreover, due to the biological nature of the template, applications in fields related to biotechnology and medicinal science can be envisioned. 

Dendrimer interior functional groups and cavities can retain guest molecules selectively, depending on the nature of the guest and the dendritic endoreceptors, the cavity size, the structure, and the chemical composition of the peripheric groups. Two main methods are known for the synthesis of metal nanoparticles inside dendrimers. The first method consists of the direct reduction of dendrimer-encapsulated metal ions (Scheme 9.4) the second method corresponds to the displacement of less-noble metal clusters with more noble elements [54]. 

An additional advantage of using microfluidic devices, which we do not have the space to discuss in detail here, is the absence of turbulence (Koo and Kleinstreuer, 2003). In the context of nanoparticle synthesis, turbulence gives rise to unpredictable variations in physical conditions inside the reactor that can influence the nature of the chemical product and in particular affect the size, shape, and chemical composition. In microfluidic devices, turbulence is suppressed (due to the dominance of viscous over inertial forces) and fluid streams mix by diffusion only. This leads to a more reproducible reaction environment that may in principle allow for improved size and shape control. 

The chemical reactivity of nanoparticle surfaces, presents interesting additional opportunities for evaluating nanoparticle surface composition. Some noble metal particles (Pd and Au in particular) can be extracted from the PAMAM dendrimer interiors into organic solution with long-chain thiols [37]. The resulting nanoparticles, referred to as Monolayer Protected Clusters (MPCs), retain the size distributions and spectroscopic characteristics of the original DENs and allow for recycling the expensive dendrimer [16]. 

Under the general term of nanoparticles we find different kinds of materials which can be classified on the basis of their origin, shape, or chemical composition. 

Several length-scales have to be considered in a number of applications. For example, in a typical monolith reactor used as automobile exhaust catalytic converter the reactor length and diameter are on the order of decimeters, the monolith channel dimension is on the order of 1 mm, the thickness of the catalytic washcoat layer is on the order of tens of micrometers, the dimension of the pores in the washcoat is on the order of 1 pm, the diameter of active noble metal catalyst particles can be on the order of nanometers, and the reacting molecules are on the order of angstroms cf. Fig. 1. The modeling of such reactors is a typical multiscale problem (Hoebink and Marin, 1998). Electron microscopy accompanied by other techniques can provide information on particle size, shape, and chemical composition. Local composition and particle size of dispersed nanoparticles in the porous structure of the catalyst affect catalytic activity and selectivity (Bell, 2003). 

The scheme of the chemical composition of the ceramic ink is visible in Fig. 11. Component A denotes the surface-modified coloring pigments, B the silane oligomers, C the Si02 nanoparticles, and D the silane monomers. 

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (ESCA) can be use to determine the chemical composition of the nanoparticle surface. This technique is a very useful tool for the development of surface modified nanoparticles providing a direct evidence of the presence of the components that are believed to be on the nanoparticle surface. ... 

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