Consider the following facts.
- Copper nanoparticles are more malleable and ductile than bulk copper.
- A bulk material should have constant physical properties regardless of its size, but at the nanoscale this is often not the case.
Which of the statements given above is/are true?
-
Only 1
-
Only 2
-
Both 1 and 2
-
Neither 1 nor 2
B
Correct answer
Explanation
Nanoparticles exhibit a number of special properties relative to bulk material. For example, the bending of bulk copper (wire, ribbon, etc.) occurs with movement of copper atoms/clusters at about the 50 nm scale. Copper nanoparticles smaller than 50 nm are considered super hard materials that do not exhibit the same malleability and ductility as bulk copper.