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Why does the European Union definition use a lower size limit of 1 nanometre?
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nanoparticle
Image showing nanoparticles of an alloy of gold (yellow) and palladium (blue) on an acid-treated carbon support (gray). These particles were employed as catalysts for the formation of hydrogen peroxide from hydrogen (white) and oxygen (red).
The European Union definition of a nanoparticle specifies a lower size limit of 1 nanometre because atomic bond lengths are reached at approximately 0.1 nanometres. By setting the threshold at 1 nanometre, the definition distinguishes between discrete nanoparticles and individual atoms or small molecular structures that do not exhibit the same collective material properties.1