What are nanoscale materials?
Nanoscale materials are a broadly defined set of substances that have at least one critical dimension less than 100 nanometers and possess unique optical, magnetic, or electrical properties. Ultrafine particulate matter is a well-known example of nanoscale particles found in the environment. The NTP’s research program focuses on engineered nanoscale materials of current or projected commercial importance. Theoretically, nanoscale materials can be engineered from nearly any chemical substance; semiconductor nanocrystals, organic dendrimers, and carbon fullerenes and carbon nanotubes are a few of the many examples.
