Advantages and Disadvantages of Metal Nanoparticles

Nanoparticles have scientific importance because they act as a link between bulk materials and atomic or molecular structures. The physical properties of the bulk material are constant because of its size, but in the case of nanoparticles, size-dependent characteristics are observed. Particle size reduction to the nanoscale reveals unexpected and improved characteristics such as particle size distribution and shape. The large surface area of nanoparticles is attributable to their remarkable and unexpected characteristics, and this exceeds the contributions made by the small bulk of the materials. Due to these properties, nanoparticles have been used in different industries such as energy, electronics, optical, medicine, mechanical, and pharmaceutical in recent years. Different approaches are being used for the synthesis of nanoparticles, such as bottom-up and top-down approaches. Metal nanoparticles are increasingly being used in biomedicine and other fields around the world. Because of their prominent features, metal nanoparticles, nanostructures, and nanomaterial production are currently gaining the attention of researchers. Various aspects of the synthesis of metal nanoparticles and the advantages and disadvantages of metal nanoparticles are summarized in this chapter.