Glossary of terms
Find below some useful definitions and web ressources about the vocabulary used in the field of nanomaterials.
Small glossary links directory
| Title | Link | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Institute of nanotechnology | www.nano.org.uk/nano/glossary.htm | The glossary of terms from the UK "Institute of nanotechnology". |
| Nanotechnology Now | www.nanotech-now.com/nanotechnology-glossary-N.htm | The glossary of terms from "Nanotechnology now". |
| PAS71 (From the BSI) | www.bsi-global.com/en/Standards-and-Publications/Industry-Sectors/Nanotechnologies/PAS-71/ | This Publicly Available Specification (PAS) was commissioned by the UK Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in collaboration with the British Standards Institution (BSI) for the purposes of developing and encouraging the use of a common language for nanoparticle technologies. |
Definitions
Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| AEM | Analytical Electron Microscopy |
| AFM | Atomic Force Microscopy |
| BET | Brunnauer-Emmett-Teller (surface adsorption analysis) |
| CFD | Computational Fluids Dynamic |
| Detection | Presence or not of nanoparticles |
| EDS | Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy |
| EELS | Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy |
| ELPI | Electrical Low Pressure Impactor |
| Engineered particles | Particles that either has been created due to deliberate human activity, or has been changed for a specific purpose (e.g. coating of silica). |
| HEPA | High Efficiency particle attraction (filters) HRSEM High |
| HRTEM | High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy |
| IC | Integrated Circuit |
| ICPMS | Inductive Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer |
| LIBS | Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy |
| LII | Laser Induced Incandescence |
| MEMS | Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems |
| MIE | Minimal Ignition Energy |
| Monitoring | Survey of ambient environment |
| Nano | A prefix meaning one billionth (1/1 000 000 000). |
| Nanomaterials | can be subdivided into nanoparticles, nanofilms and nanocomposites. The focus of nanomaterials is a bottom up approach to structures and functional effects whereby the building blocks of materials are designed and assembled in controlled ways ... readmore [Wikipedia] |
| Nanometre | One billionth of a metre. 10-9m, or a millionth of a millimetre. |
| Nanoparticles | Individual pieces of matter of dimensions lower than 100 nm. Nanoparticle threshold size can also be defined as the size leading to different physico-chemical behaviors and properties than bulk material ...readmore [Wikipedia] |
| Nanoscale | Between 0.1-100nm. |
| Nanotechnology | Areas of technology where dimensions and tolerances in the range of 0.1nm to 100nm play a critical role. |
| Nanotube | A one-dimensional fullerene (a convex cage of atoms with only hexagonal and/or pentagonal faces) with a cylindrical shape. |
| Nanowires | One-dimensional structures, with unique electrical and optical properties, that are used as building blocks in nanoscale devices. |
| NMR | Nuclear Magnetic Resonance |
| Off-line detection | Measurements are performed later, on lab equipments |
| On-line detection | Real time detection of nanoparticles |
| PBPK | Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic |
| PCS | Photon Correlation Spectroscopy |
| PVD | Along with CVD, a group of surface treatments applied on tools and machine elements. In the area of machining and tooling PVD coatings are widely used to increase the life and productivity of production tools and therefore reducing manufacturing costs. |
| Quantum dot | A nano-scale crystalline structure that can transform the colour of light. The quantum dot is considered to have greater flexibility than other fluorescent materials, which makes it suited to use in building nano-scale computing applications where light is used to process information. They are made from a variety of different compounds, such as cadmium selenide. |
| RSEM | Resolution Scanning Electron Microscopy |
| SAW | Surface Acoustic Wave |
| SEM | Scanning Electron Microscopy |
| SMPS | Scanning Mobility Particle sizer |
| SNOM | Scanning Nearfield Microscopy |
| STEM | Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy |
| STM | Scanning Tunneling Microscopy |
| SWNT | Single Walled Nanotubes |
| TEM | Transmission Electron Microscopy |
