Size matters: why nanomaterials are different
Abstract
Gold is known as a shiny, yellow noble metal that does not tarnish, has a face centred cubic structure, is non-magnetic and melts at 1336 K. However, a small sample of the same gold is quite different, providing it is tiny enough: 10 nm particles absorb green light and thus appear red. The meltingtemperature decreases dramatically as the size goes down. Moreover, gold ceases to be noble, and 2–3 nm