Richard W. Siegel

Materials Science and Engineering Department
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, New York 12180, USA

The past thirty years has seen an ever-increasing interest in nanoparticles of a variety of elemental constituents, sizes and morphologies, which have been used as the building blocks of nanostructured materials and devices with unique properties and functionalities. These materials and devices have enabled the continued development of nanotechnology for the increasing benefit of society. The special properties of nanoparticles, with their inherent nanoscale topography, their very large surface-to-volume ratios, along with our ability to precisely functionalize their surfaces, have created through recent experiments a novel view of them as powerful delivery vehicles with great potential for enabling novel multifunctional nanocomposite materials and multiple healthcare applications. A brief commentary on this exciting and ever-developing field, with examples highlighted from our research efforts at Rensselaer, will be presented that focuses on a number of current advances in our understanding that indicate some opportunities for solutions to important societal problems.