Nanomaterials describe, in principle, materials of which a single unit is sized (in at least one dimension) between 1 to 1000 nanometres (10−9 meter) but usually is 1 to 100 nm (the usual definition of nanoscale).
Mining activities provide the raw materials to manufacture products for a multitude of industries ranging from electronics to aerospace to biomedicine. A new EU-funded project is helping ensure the environmental safety of the mining industry.