Application of Nanoparticles

Mohamed Mohamed
SCH4U
Terry Hsia

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Nanoparticlesarebecomingagrowingfieldinthescientificcommunity,thisisdueto
theirnumerousapplications,butthemajorityofpeopledontknowwhattheyare(Nanoparticle,
n.d.). The simple definition of a nanoparticle is a particle that is smaller than 100nm. The
particlesmustbelargerthan1nmorelsetheywouldbecategorizedasaclusterofatoms(What
isaNanoparticle,n.d.).Nanoparticleshavethreemajorphysicalcharacteristicsassociatedwith
them.Firstly,theyareextremelymobilewhenuninhibited,secondlytheyhavealargesurface
areaandthirdlytheycandisplayquantumeffects.Nanoparticlescanalsobeclassifiedassoftor
hard,thisalldependsonwhatmaterialtheyaremadeof.Thesecharacteristicsarewhatallow
nanoparticlestobesoversatileandapplicabletomanydifferentscientificfields(Jarvie,2016).
Nanoparticleshaveavarietyofdifferentpracticalapplications;oneofthemostcommon
isthemodernrubbertire.Tiresaretypicallycomprisedofanelastomerandinorganicfiller,such
as silica nanoparticles. The combination of nanoparticles and the rubber help improve the
mechanical characteristics of the tires (Jarvie, 2016). Another everyday application of
nanoparticlesincludes,crackresistantpaints,scratchresistantglasses,stainrepellentfabrics&
translucentsunscreen.Typicalsunscreenusuallyincludeswhiteparticlesoftitaniumoxide,this
resultsinthewhitepigmentationwhenthesunscreenisapplied,butduetotheusenanoparticles
oftitaniumoxidethereisnomorewhitepigmentation(Nanotechnologies,2006).
Thebiggestandmostimportantapplicationofnanotechnologyisinthemedicalfield,
especiallywhenitcomestodrugdeliverysystems.Inrecentyearsresearchhasbeenconducted
ontheuseofpolymericmicellenanoparticlestodeliverdrugstotumoursthatisshowingvery
positiveresults.Thecompany,BIND Bioscienceshas recentlypublishedtheresultsoftheir
Phase1ClinicalTrialandisproceedingwithaPhase2ClinicalTrialofatargetedchemotherapy
drug, which relies on nanoparticles (Boysen, n.d.). This application could have incredible
implicationinthemedicalworld,allowingformorespecificdrugdelivery,areductioninthe
toxiceffectsofsomedrugswhilststillretainingthesamemedicaltreatment,nanoparticlesallow
fasterandsaferwaytodeploynewmedicationsandwithhigherbiocompatibility(WimHDe
Jong,2008).
Nanoparticlesarenotperfect,andtheydohavetheirdisadvantages.Nanoparticlescan
havedamagingeffectsonourenvironment,especiallytoairpollutionandclimatechange.Some

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nanoparticlescanalsocarrychemicalpollutantlikephosphorus fromsewage.Wheninhaled
studieshaveshownthatnanoparticlescancauseinflammationandcellulardeathinlungtissue.
Thesestudiesarenowherenearcomplete,butthishasgivenscientistreasonformoreextensive
researcher(Jarvie,2016).
Nanoparticles have many a lot of realworld applications from tire rubber to drug
delivery, but nanoparticle research is still in its early stages, this means there are a lot of
unknowns uses and sideeffects especially when is comes to the medical field. After more
researchandtesting,nanoparticlesandnanotechnologycouldhelptominimizethenegativeside
effectsofdrugtreatmentssuchaschemotherapy.Inconclusionnanoparticlesopenahugedoor
thatcouldchangethefaceofthemedicalindustry.Fornowthepositiveattributesoutweightthe
negative,butmuchmoretestingandresearchneedstotakenbeforenanoparticlesbecomemore
widelyused.

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Works Cited:

Boysen,E.(n.d.).NanotechnologyinMedicineNanomedicine.RetrievedJuly6,2016,from
UnderstandingNano:http://www.understandingnano.com/medicine.html
Jarvie,H.(2016,April21).Nanoparticle.RetrievedJuly6,2016,fromEncyclopaedia
Britannica:https://www.britannica.com/science/nanoparticle
Nanoparticle.(n.d.).RetrievedJuly6,2016,fromScienceDaily:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/nanoparticle.htm
Nanotechnologies.(2006).RetrievedJuly6,2016,fromPublicHealth:
http://ec.europa.eu/health/scientific_committees/opinions_layman/en/nanotechnologies/l
3/5nanoparticlesconsumerproducts.htm
WhatisaNanoparticle.(n.d.).RetrievedJuly6,2016,fromHoribaScientific:
http://www.horiba.com/scientific/products/particlecharacterization/applications/whatis
ananoparticle/
WimHDeJong,P.J.(2008,June3).Drugdeliveryandnanoparticles:Applicationsand
hazards.RetrievedJuly6,2016,fromNCBI:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2527668/