Some commercially available nano-particles
Nano-particles may consist of various elements and compounds. The size of the molecules is the sole criterion for inclusion in the category of nano-particles. Nano-particles have a length of 1 to 100 nm. Conventional materials have grain sizes ranging from microns to several millimeters and contain several billions atoms each, nanometre sized grains contain only about 900 atoms, exhibit new and improved properties compared to the corresponding bulk material (Table1). Some nano-particles currently available are as follows (5-7):
Metals: Pd/Pt, Ag, Fe, etc.
Compounds: - Organic: Vitamins, DNA, Hydroxylapatite, Colour pigments.
- Inorganic: TiO2, ZnO, Fe2O3, MgO, SiO2 etc.
Polymer: - cellulose nano-whiskers
- carbon nano-whiskers.
Some Nano-Particles and their properties
1 Silver Nano-Particles: Anti-bacterial finishing
2 Fe Nano-Particles: Conductive magnetic properties, remote heating.
3 ZnO and TiO2: UV protection, fiber protection, oxidative catalysis
4 TiO2 and MgO: Chemical and biological protective performance, provide self-sterilizing function.
5 SiO2 or Al2O3 Nano-particles with PP or PE coating: Super water repellent finishing.
6 Indium-tin oxide Nano-Particles: EM / IR protective clothing.
7 Ceramic Nano-Particles: Increasing resistance to abrasion.
8 Carbon black Nano-Particles: Increasing resistance to abrasion, chemical resistance and impart electrical conductivity, colouration of some textiles.
9 Clay nano-particles: High electrical, heat and chemical resistance.
10 Cellulose Nano-whiskers: Wrinkle resistance, stain resistance, and water repellency.
