GCSE Chemistry · Edexcel 1CH0 · Topic 9E
Bulk and surface properties of matter
Key points
- Materials: ceramics (hard, brittle, insulators), polymers (flexible, low density, insulators), metals (conductors, malleable) and composites (combine materials, e.g. fibreglass, reinforced concrete).
- Choose a material by comparing properties such as strength, density, cost and conductivity.
- Nanoparticles are 1–100 nm in size. They have a very high surface area to volume ratio, so their properties differ from the bulk material.
- Uses: sun creams, catalysts, antibacterial coatings and medicine.
- Possible risks: they may be absorbed into the body or harm the environment, and long-term effects are not fully known.
- Calculate SA : V: e.g. a cube of side 10 nm has 600 nm² ÷ 1000 nm³ = 0.6 nm⁻¹.
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Engineers choose materials by matching their properties to the job. These notes compare the main classes of material and explain why nanoparticles, which are tiny pieces of a material, behave so differently from the same material in bulk.
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