What is the significance of Gibbs free energy in nanotechnology?
In nanotechnology, Gibbs free energy is crucial for understanding the stability and phase transformations of nanomaterials. The change in Gibbs free energy determines whether a reaction or phase change will occur spontaneously. At the nanoscale, factors such as particle size and shape can influence the Gibbs free energy, thus affecting the stability of nanoparticles and their interactions with other materials.