The surface area of a certain mass of nano-sized materials is much, much greater than the same amount of ordinary-sized materials. As a result, nano-sized materials absorb heat easily, and if they are solids, the temperatures at which they melt (fusion point) are low. For example, the fusion point of ordinary-sized gold is 1063ºC, but for gold particles of several nanometers, it is 957ºC, which means that nano-sized gold can be melted at a lower temperature.

This is just one way in which nano-sized materials-those on a similar scale to atoms and molecules-differ considerably from ordinary-sized materials. The goal of nanotechnology is to make use of the special features, particularly those listed below, of so-called nanomaterials.