Nonadditivity of nanoparticle interactions

Solutions for nanoparticle solutions Nanoparticle interactions in solution affect their binding to biomolecules, their electronic properties, and their packing into larger crystals. However, the theories that describe larger colloidal particles fail for nanoparticles, because the interactions do not add together linearly. Nanoparticles also have complex shapes and are closer in size to the solvent molecules. Silvera Batista et al. review approaches that can treat the nonadditive nature of nanoparticle interactions, resulting in a more complete understanding of nanoparticles in solution. Science , this issue p. 10.1126/science.1242477