. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2020 Jun 28.

Published in final edited form as: Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2019 Jun 28;144:180–189. doi: 10.1016/j.addr.2019.06.009

Table 1.

Classification and dimensionality of nanotechnology-platforms used in medicine. Examples of various inorganic, organic, and biological nanoparticles are highlighted. Nanotechnology can refer to nanomaterials that have either one, two, or three nano-dimensions. In the context of this perspective, nanomedicine is application of any of the nanotechnologies described here to medicine specific problems.

Nanotechnology Classification
Inorganic • Gold • Quantum dots • Iron oxide • Lanthanide • Silver • Zinc, copper oxide • Mesoporous silica • Carbon nanotubes	Organic • Micelles • Liposomes • Dendrimers • Polymers (nanospheres, nanocapsules, micelles) • Cyclodextrins	Biological • Exosomes • Lipoproteins • Ferritin • Viruses
Nanotechnology Dimensionality (adapted from [15])
Three nano-dimensions • Nanoparticles • Nanocapsules • Fullerenes • Dendrimers • Quantum dots • Nanostructures • Nanopores	Two nano-dimensions • Nanofibers • Nanowires • Nanotubes	One nano-dimension • Nano thin films