= Nanostructure
A <nanostructure> has structural features on the <nanoscale>. The relevant dimension may be the thickness of a <thin film>, the diameter of a <nanowire>, or the overall size of a <nanoparticle>. A material can therefore be macroscopically large while containing <nanostructures> internally.
The geometry matters because it changes the relative importance of <surfaces>, the distances over which <charge carriers> move, and sometimes the allowed <quantum states>. A <thin film> and a <nanoparticle> made from the same chemical material need not have the same properties: their <quantum confinement> dimensions and exposed <surface areas> differ. Characterizing a <nanostructure> requires specifying which dimensions are small, its shape and its chemical <chemical composition>, rather than reporting a single size alone.<About Nanotechnology by the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office>[Nanoscale dimensions and differences from bulk materials]{ref}
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