>
Spotlight July 2022: New definition on nanomaterials published
The European Union has published a new definition for nanomaterials as of June 2022. It is recommended that this be used as a basis for future legislation. The new documents can be found on the EC website.
In the new “nanodefinition”, the essential components such as the origin or the size range of the particles (1-100 nm) remain mostly unchanged, but some aspects are simplified that were only included in the old definition from 2011 through explicit extensions. For example, nanomaterials with dimensions below one nanometre, such as some nanotubes and graphene, which were previously explicitly included, are now included generically. For this purpose, elongated particles with two external dimensions smaller than 1 nm and one dimension larger than 100 nm as well as platelet-like particles with one dimension smaller than 1 nm and two dimensions larger than 100 nm are newly taken into account. Particles with two orthogonal external dimensions larger than 100 µm no longer have to be taken into account.
Likewise, some decision criteria have been clarified and simplified. The previous criterion that a material with a volume specific surface area (VSSA) of 60 m2/cm3 or more was classified as nano has now been dropped. Conversely, in future a material can be designated as non-nano if the VSSA is smaller than 6 m2/cm3. Finally, the threshold for the particle number-based size distribution in the new definition is no longer flexible, but fixed at 50 %.
Weitere Spotlights
Spotlight March 2023: How can photovoltaics be made safe and sustainable?
Conventional photovoltaic systems often have only low efficiency, i.e. only a fraction of the solar energy is converted into electrical energy and made usable. For this reason, research is being conducted into innovative materials that can significantly increase the energy yield and thus also enable more electrical energy to be generated from renewable sources. However, […]
Read moreSpotlight January 2022: Methods, models, mechanisms and metadata
For the new year, we are presenting no “classic” paper here, but would like to point out an editorial: Methods, Models, Mechanisms and Metadata: Introduction to the Nanotoxicology Collection at F1000 Research. This editorial introduces the F1000Research Nanotoxicology Collection, where best practices can be collected in the form of original research reports, including no-effect studies, […]
Read moreSpotlight October 2022: The titanium dioxide debate – why the current ECHA and EFSA hazard classification should be questioned
Due to various reports and scientific studies, titanium dioxide (TiO2)was also banned in Europe this year (2022) for use as a food additive with the indication that it could possibly be carcinogenic to humans. Although no case of tumour induction in humans has been reported since the use of this material in micro but also […]
Read moreSpotlight November 2021: Safe Materials from Scratch – Safe-by-Design in Materials Research
Advances in the field of materials science continue to amaze us with nanoscale materials with extraordinary chemical, electrical, optical, and numerous other properties. However, some nanoscale materials have different toxicological profiles compared to the same bulk material. Since safety issues are usually addressed just before launching a product into the market, safety issues may be […]
Read more