The term nanoparticle is constantly used. This term characterizes the particle size. There is a term physico-chemistry of nanoparticles. In this case, particles can be chaotic with an indeterminate shape and with a given shape and size. And these two directions are completely different in terms of content, technology level and methodological foundations. Chaotic particles can be obtained using conventional chemical techniques, there is nothing special about their properties, except for a large specific surface area. Whereas true nanoparticles form ordered structures and possess undoubtedly new properties and even quantum effects are beginning to manifest themselves. What can I suggest, dear colleagues, to organize information?
Thoughout my years of studies, I've encountered various attempts of structuring the terminologies, semi-joking statements like
"If we don't know what it is, we call it an agglomerate. Once we know what it is, we call it a nanoparticle."
But simultaneously other lecturers said almost in the identical phrasing
"If we don't know what it is, we call it a nanoparticle. Once we know what it is, we call it a cluster."
So, the scientific world is not even unified within individual universities and when you go global it doesn't get better.
The smallest common denominator is that a nanoparticle is every object whose spatial dimensions are in the nm range and I don't see much perspective in sharpening the definition any further in the near future.
"The smallest common denominator is that a nanoparticle is every object whose spatial dimensions are in the nm range"
Even that isn't agreed. In the pharmaceutical industry, nanoparticles are often those less than 1 micron. I'm an old school colloid chemistry and generally align with this. I do not subscribe to the definition that at least one dimension is less than 100 nm.
Well, in the graphene community in which I hovered around while doing my PhD, nanographene is everything larger than Hexabenzocoronene which extends over just a little under 2 nm. Also, fullerenes are often referred to as nanoparticles and they usually don't get beyond 100 nm.
Also, with nanowires, 100 nm are usually seen as the upper threshold.
You could of course argue that nanoflakes and nanowires should be separated from nanoparticles, but that brings us back to the initial issue Oleg Novikov asked about what kind of structures you want to include here.
Maybe we should start with the classification of nanoparticles? Then you can start classifying their ensembles. During the synthesis of porous polymer bodies, fractal structures consisting of globules arise, which form porous globules forming a mesoporous structure, and they in turn form macrostructures of the same repeating structures. Due to this morphology, a polymer body is obtained that is mechanically stable but with a huge volume of various pores.
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