ABSTRACT

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Nanotechnology can be considered to be the application of science that “steps across the limit” of miniaturization, where “new rules” become valid (Schmidt et al. 2003). More specically, when the dimensions of a solid material become incredibly small, its physical and chemical properties can become very different from the larger, bulk form of the same material. This is one of the hallmarks of nanotechnology, it can be described as a research area in which this limit is reached and strategies are developed to exploit the regime of size-controlled properties (Paul et al. 2006). In the last couple of years, the term “nanotechnology” has been inated and has almost become synonymous for things that are innovative and exceedingly promising. Alternatively, it is also the subject of considerable debate regarding the open question on the toxicological and environmental impact of nanoparticles (NPs) and nanotubes (Donaldson et al. 2004; Oberdörster et al. 2005).