Nanomaterials: Properties, Preparation and Applications - Environmental and Human Health Impacts of Nanotechnology - page 72

2.8 Conclusions

The fi eld of nanotechnology is extensive, permeating a range of disciplines beyond
materials science and chemistry and this chapter has reviewed at a very shallow
level much of the fi eld. It has been seen that nanomaterials cannot be considered
as simple entities and certainly cannot be generally studied in the same manner as
small molecules. Their properties are diverse and depend on composition, chemistry
and size as well as interactions with other materials. No single property can suitably
be attributed to all nanoparticles, other than perhaps their intrinsically small size
and high surface area. It has also been seen that the preparation of nanomaterials
is diverse and their preparation by different methods may therefore result in a
range of materials that may be commonly labelled under one nanoparticle type but
may have a wide range of compositions and properties. These facts, therefore, make
the characterisation of nanoparticles a primary concern in determining their toxi-
cological and ecotoxicological properties; an issue which will further be dealt with
in further chapters.
Given the rapid rise in the number of nanoparticle types and the breadth of their
applications it is of immediate importance that the factors affecting nanoparticle
toxicology and environmental interactions be determined. Such a set of parameters
would allow, as a minimum, a qualitative prediction of the likely effects of a new
nanoparticle and, therefore, allow the design of nanoparticles with low toxicity.

2.9 References

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