Classification and properties of nanoparticles

Being the fundamental component of nanotechnology, nanoparticles have a wide spectrum of applications in both commercial and domestic aspects. They are being extensively investigated by researchers as they occupy a big region in the length scale in between macro- and molecular level. This chapter provides an overview of different properties of nanoparticles that are significantly different than their higher length-scale counterparts. The transition of these properties from macroscopic solid toward molecular system is governed by a complex combination of quantum mechanics and classical physics, which is, however, not fully explored in detail in this chapter. Rather, a more fundamental understanding of the chemical, mechanical, electrical, optical, antibacterial, and magnetic characteristics of such nanoparticles is presented in light of their industrial, domestic, and biomedical applications. While several criteria to differentiate the nanoparticles are briefly put light on, for the key portion of the discussion a classification based on their chemical composition is used, in order to branch out the crucial properties and comprehend them properly. This is also noted that most of the properties are subject to the synthesis method and the morphology of the particles.