York researchers discover important mechanism behind nanoparticle reactivity

An international team of researchers has used pioneering electron microscopy techniques to discover an important mechanism behind the reaction of metallic nanoparticles with the environment. Crucially, the research led by the University of York, shows that oxidation of metals -- the process that describes, for example, how iron reacts with oxygen, in the presence of water, to form rust -- proceeds much more rapidly in nanoparticles than at the macroscopic scale.

Fuente : http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-11/uoy...