Interactions between inorganic nanoparticles are central to a wide spectrum of physical, chemical, and biological phenomena. Their understanding is essential for technological implementation of successes of nanoscale synthesis, engineering of self-organized nanoparticle superstructures with various dimensionalities, collective properties at nanoscale, and predictive biological responses to nanoparticles. Recent studies indicate that seemingly small forces can result in large changes in patterns of nanoparticle assemblies. The quantitative description of forces between nanoparticles encounters, however, many difficulties not present, or not as severe, for micro-sized particles. They are revealed in numerous experimental observations that, are, unfortunately, often ignored. Inconsistencies in accounting of nanoparticle interactions are observed across all materials platforms that include ceramic, semiconductor, and metallic nanoparticles, crystalline and amorphous nanoparticles, dispersions of inorganic, organic, and biological nanomaterials. Such systematic deviations of predictions from reality point to the generality of such phenomena for nanoscale matter. In this talk, the analysis of the sources of these inconsistencies and heuristic rules emerging from experimental studies will be presented. Directions for future research that might overcome these inconsistencies will also be discussed.

Nanoparticles interactions

251st National Meeting (2016)

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