Nanotechnology – nanomaterials, nanoparticles and multifunctional core/shell type nanostructures

Corresponding Author: Marcin Runowski, M.sc., e-mail: [email protected] Introduction to “nanoworld” nowadays, we live during an intensive development of science known as nanotechnology, which is closely related to chemistry of colloids. The average size of particles forming a given colloid is often in the range of 1–1000 nm (1 nm = 10-9 m). Due to the small size, such nanoparticles can form stable colloidal solutions, which is important in case of bioapplications, tracing techniques and materials engineering. There are many definitions of nanoparticles. One of them says that, when a given material is composed of particles, whose at least one dimension is smaller than 100 nm, than such material can be called as „nanomaterial”. Another definition determines „nanomaterial” as a material which after „miniaturization” to nanoscale reveals altered physicochemical properties in comparison to the bulk product (macroscopic) [1, 2].