Microparticles are tiny fragments of substance between 1 and 100 micrometers in size, often found in everyday materials like sand and flour. They can be naturally occurring, like platelets in blood, or designed for industrial use, like magnetic cores. Microparticles have unique properties due to their size and surface area, and can react differently on small scales than on large scales.
Microparticles are very small fragments of substance. While some of these particles can be seen with the naked eye, they are so small that viewers are unable to see any detail or formation on the particle’s surface. When used by humans, these particles are often lumped together in collections of the same material, such as with flour. When occurring in nature, microparticles are typically part of a system and are not directly related to other similar particles. Due to their size, microparticles often have properties that larger occurrences of the material do not.
The only common factor between microparticles of different materials is their size. A microparticle is between 1 and 100 micrometers (0.003 inches) in size, which is the range between a bacterium and a very fine human hair. Larger microparticles can be seen without assistance, but smaller ones require magnification. Even when the particle is visible, the particle structure is too small for the human eye to see.
Almost every person sees microparticles every day. Common everyday materials, such as sand, flour, and pollen, are all made up of these tiny particles. When a microparticle is used by humans, it is often collected together. This is especially true with kitchen supplies and particles created for use in manufacturing. When the microparticle is not used by humans, such as dust or pollen, it is often discouraged from aggregating.
An industrial microparticle is often a magnetic core surrounded by a second material. These particles are designed to mix with another substance and do something. That something varies wildly based on what the outer shell is made of; it can be anything from separating the precious metal from the rock to purifying water. The inner magnetic core is used to recover the particles after it has done what it was designed to do.
There are also naturally occurring microparticles in living creatures. Many portions of blood, such as platelets, are actually microparticles. Additionally, the endothelial cells that line the circulatory systems of many creatures emit a constant stream of particles. In the past, people believed it was simply discarded material, but recent studies have shown a connection between the number of endothelial microparticles in the bloodstream and certain diseases.
A microparticle has a much greater surface to non-surface area than most materials. This causes certain types of particles to react differently on small scales than they do on large scales. One of the most common reactions comes from some metals. When these materials are exposed to air and friction, such as when thrown through the air, they become highly volatile and even explosive.
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