Nanoparticles and Nanoscience

This lesson covers nanoparticles — very small particles with dimensions in the range 1–100 nm — and their properties, applications and associated concerns. This is part of the Edexcel GCSE Chemistry (1CH0) specification on Structure, Bonding and Properties.

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What Are Nanoparticles?

Nanoparticles are particles that have dimensions (diameter) in the range of 1–100 nanometres (nm).

To put this in perspective:

Scale	Size
1 nm (nanometre)	1 × 10⁻⁹ m
1 nm	About 10 atoms lined up in a row
Nanoparticle range	1–100 nm
Human hair diameter	~80,000 nm
Typical atom	~0.1–0.3 nm

Nanoparticles contain a few hundred to a few thousand atoms. They are much smaller than fine powders (which have particles of about 1,000–10,000 nm) and bulk materials.

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Particle Size Comparison

Type	Approximate Diameter	Number of Atoms
Single atom	0.1–0.3 nm	1
Nanoparticle	1–100 nm	Hundreds to thousands
Fine powder	100–10,000 nm	Millions
Coarse/bulk material	> 10,000 nm	Billions+