Nanoparticles have various applications. They serve various purposes in different fields. Nanoparticles are generally used in biology, construction, manufacturing of electronics, and optics.
Nanoparticles have various applications. They serve various purposes in different fields. Nanoparticles are generally used in biology, construction, manufacturing of electronics, and optics. The most commonly used nanoparticle is titanium nanoparticle. Titanium nanoparticles are also known as Tinanoparticle.
Titanium nanoparticles are made up of nano-sized(1-100mm) particles of Titanium dioxide TiO2. Ti nanoparticles are known for their dense build and thus is applied in various industry verticals. Another reason for the mass usage of Ti nanoparticles is its easy availability and low cost. Here are some of the applications of these Ti nanoparticles.
Healthcare
In healthcare, titanium is used for bone replacements due to its durable tensile strength and non-corrosive properties. It is also used in the joints where the ligaments have been torn off, or there is no inherent strength of the bones present in the body.
Joints such as hips, knees usually need artificial replacements. The life of these artificial replacements is around 10 to 15 years. The life of these replacements can be extended greatly by using Ti nanoparticles. The artificial joints can be coated with Ti nanoparticles to extend their longevity and provide substantial hard resistance to the wear and tear.
In cosmetics
Ti nanoparticles are also used in cosmetics as they are known to thwart the harmful UV rays. They are actively used in sunscreens. The titanium nanoparticles form a shield on your skin and absorb the UV rays partially. The rays thus can not reach your skin.
In the food industry
Titanium oxide is also used in the food industry. Particularly it is found in heavy concentration in products like chewing gum and sweets. The Ti nanoparticles are found in abundance in many other food products. The nanoparticles are easily dissolved in water as stable colloids. So there is nothing to worry about.
Photocatalytic purposes
One inherent property of Ti nanoparticles is that it kills the bacteria when it is illuminated by a UV light. The nanoparticle absorbs the ultraviolet light. The light then excites the electrons of titanium dioxide from the valence shell to the conduction band. The gap created due to this process is filled by the adjacent H2O molecule. The whole process gives birth to the hydroxyl radical. The free radicals then kill the bacteria. The radicals are naturally harmful to any surrounding cells.
This property of Ti nanoparticles is leveraged for cancer treatment. The cancerous cells are killed by free radicals. A coating of ligands is applied to the titanium nanoparticles. This allows the nanoparticles to enter the tumor where the cancer cells are being mutated. The nanoparticles then enter the center of the tumor, and the tumor is exposed to UV light. When exposed to the ultraviolet rays, the nanoparticles release free radicals. These free radicals kill the surrounding cells that cause cancer.
Sonoexcitation
Sono Excitation is a method that uses ultrasonic waves to allow the UV light to penetrate the biological tissues. The penetration of UV light into biological tissues is used for various research purposes. The problem with the UV light is that it can cause cancer in healthy tissues and may damage most tissues if there is prolonged exposure. Due to this limitation, the deeper areas of tissue can not be illuminated by the UV rays.
This problem is solved by nanoparticles mixed with ultrasound techniques. Ultrasound causes any fluid to get disturbed at an atomic level. This disturbance further leads to the creation of cavitation bubbles, like the gaps in the fluid's atomic structure. When these bubbles collapse, UV light is released to excite the Ti nanoparticles. The Ti nanoparticles facilitate photocatalysis.
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