Nanoparticle design and handling - challenges for engineers and particle technologists

In this paper, the opportunities and challenges which future applications based on nanoparticles offer to engineers are described. New high-added value products induce us to rethink ways to control nanoparticle design and handling. Several challenges are described and typical solutions are given: (1) finding relevant engineering tasks outside traditional process industry; (2) the importance of mixing reactants; (3) obtaining monodisperse particles; (4) gaining efficient control via electric forces and (5) developing multi-step processes which allow more control over particle properties.