Nanoscale chemical structure introduction

An important idea that underpins much of nanotechnology is that by controlling composition, size, and structure at the nanoscale one can engineer almost any desired properties. This is particularly trae for NPs as demonstrated by their many varied technological apphcations. They also have considerable fundamental interest as one can study the emergence of bulk properties (i.e. electronic, chemical, stmctural, thermal, mechanical, and optical) as the number of atoms in the particle increases from one to many thousands. The aim of this chapter is to provide a broad introduction to NP systems, with particular attention paid to stmeture and its connection to various properties (so-called structure-property relationships). This chapter is divided into three main parts. First in Section 2.2, some general issues concerning the atomic structure of NPs and its dependence on various factors, such as particle size and the presence of a support, are discussed. Associated properties of NP systems, such as chemical... 

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