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).
Stringent EU legislation and growing costs for water, discharges and raw materials are prompting the surface treatment of metals (STM) industry to seek new ways to treat effluent.