Nanomaterials

Nanomaterials describe, in principle, chemical substances or materials of which a single unit is sized (in at least one dimension) between 1 and 100 nm (the usual definition of nanoscale).

Nanomaterials research takes a materials science-based approach to nanotechnology, leveraging advances in materials metrology and synthesis which have been developed in support of microfabrication research. Materials with structure at the nanoscale often have unique optical, electronic, thermo-physical or mechanical properties. Nanobiomaterials are a specialization of nanomaterials; nanobiomaterials are biomaterials (both natural and synthetic compatible with the human body and typically used in Medicine and its specializations such as dentistry and veterinary) in the nanoscale. Nanobiomaterials are typically used in the field of nanomedicine since they can both actively interact with biological systems and mimic biological structures.

Nanobiomaterials are different from bionanomaterials: whilst nanobiomaterials are biomaterials in the nanoscale, bionanomaterials are all the products of bionanotechnology except nanobiomaterials, i.e., bionanomaterials are all its products that are not used as (nano)biomaterials.

Nanomaterials are slowly becoming commercialized and beginning to emerge as commodities.