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Let’s Check

1. It is the name given to those branches of research and engineering that make use of
phenomena that occur at scales of the nanometer for the creation, manufacturing, and
use of materials, structures, devices, and systems.
2. Chemical substances or materials that have been engineered with particles of diameters
between 1 and 100 nanometers in at least one dimension are known as engineered
nanomaterials. It is generally known that the special physical and chemical
characteristics of tailored nanostructures give them a variety of useful advantages.
Examples of engineered nanomaterials include fullerenes and carbon nanotubes,
cylinder-shaped allotropic forms of carbon that are most frequently produced through
chemical vapor deposition. Carbon buckyballs are a series of hollow carbon molecules
that either form a closed cage ("buckyballs") or a cylinder ("nanotubes"). They contain
astonishing chemical, electrical, mechanical, and optical qualities.
3. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy
(FESEM), tunneling electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and
other techniques and technologies are used to characterize the morphology of
nanomaterials. By examining the chemical environment around the nuclei, NMR
Spectroscopy, often known as NMR, is a reliable and non-destructive molecular
characterization technique that offers detailed structure information.

Let’s Analyze

1. The spectrum of sizes is the major distinction between nano- and microplastics. Only
polymers like PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PP (polypropylene), and PE
(polyethylene) are used to make microplastics, which are made up of bigger particles
up to 5 mm in size.
2. The nanoparticles in question are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, which are used in
sunscreen. Before being included into your sunscreen, these chemicals are reduced to
incredibly small particles. The majority of consumers prefer sunscreens that contain
 nanoparticles because they result in a product that is less pasty, rubs in more thoroughly,
and is more readily absorbed by the skin.
3. When applied properly to the skin and away from open wounds, sunscreen
nanoparticles cannot pass through the skin's protective barrier and enter the body. The
outer layer of the skin, which is made up of non-viable cells, and the skin's surface are
where it often remains.
4. Although zinc oxide and titanium dioxide nanoparticles clump together when mixed
into sunscreen, they still retain their highly effective UV light-absorbing properties.
They also absorb and scatter visible light, making them transparent on the skin. This
means that the nanomaterials present in sunscreens do not need to enter the skin in order
to be effective.

In a Nutshell

1. By conserving raw resources, energy, and water, as well as by lowering greenhouse

emissions and dangerous wastes, nanotechnological goods, processes, and applications
are anticipated to make a substantial contribution to environmental and climatic
protection.
2. If one is not already aware of the presence of nanoparticles in the environment, it will
take some time before one can learn about them. This is because it takes time to identify
and know the presence of nanoparticles in the environment.
3. Effects of incidental nanoparticles, which occur accidentally during human activity,
natural nanomaterials, which are not directly produced by human action, and designed
nanomaterials, which are produced for particular applications.
4. Because nanoparticles are frequently deeply enmeshed in a matrix and their separation
is technically challenging, it is not possible to recover nanomaterials from a product.
However, the bulk of items containing nanomaterials are recycled (e.g. plastics,
electronic goods).