E56.01 - Informatics and Terminology

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
3.1 This standard is intended to facilitate communication among members of the business, research, legal, government, and educational communities.  
3.2 Definitions:  
3.2.1 Terms and their related standard definitions in Section 4 are intended for use uniformly and consistently in all nanotechnology test methods, specifications, guides, and practices. The purpose of such use is to promote a clear understanding and interpretation of the standards in which they are used.  
3.2.2 Definitions of terms are written in the broadest sense possible, consistent with the intended meaning using the following guidance considerations.
3.2.2.1 Terminology E1992 and Practice E1964 concepts are considered, especially Sections 6.5, 7, and 8 of Practice E1964.
3.2.2.2 Terms and nomenclature are based on observed scientific phenomena and are descriptive, distinguishable, and have significant currency in the nanotechnology field as reflected in peer-reviewed articles and other objective sources. These terms and names should not disrupt accepted usage in other scientific and technological fields, and their preferred usage should follow accepted scientific syntax.
3.2.2.3 When incorporating a term or name from a related field, its underlying meaning is not redefined. Modifications are minimal and are done to elucidate scientific distinctions required by nanotechnology practitioners.
3.2.2.4 When conflicting or overlapping terms and names arise between scientific disciplines, precedence was given to the established term that has behind it a significant body of knowledge.
3.2.2.5 The definition of a term that can have different meanings in different technical fields, especially those fields beyond nanotechnology, is preceded by a limiting phrase, for example, “in nanotechnology.”  
3.3 Description of Terms:  
3.3.1 Descriptions of Terms are special purpose definitions intended to provide a precise understanding and interpretation of standards in which they are used.  
3.3...
SCOPE
1.1 Nanotechnology is an emerging field; this standard defines the novel terminology developed for its broad multi- and interdisciplinary activities. As the needs of this area develop, this standard will evolve accordingly. Its content may be referenced or adopted, or both, in whole or in part, as demanded by the needs of the individual user.  
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.  
1.3 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 A nano-object is an individual, well-defined, and separable piece of a nanomaterial; in practice, nanomaterials used in research, products, testing, and other uses are almost always collections of nano-objects. Individual nano-objects and collections of nano-objects are the two major types of nanomaterials in use. The description of a collection of nano-objects is covered in this guide. The description of an individual nano-object is covered in Guide E3144. Nano-objects, individually or as a collection, are often embedded in other materials for commercial, research, and other uses. These embedded nanomaterials can be described using the information categories and descriptors included in these guides.  
5.2 Nanomaterials are of growing importance in research and commerce, and data on their physical and chemical characteristics are critical to predict performance, to transact commercial activities, to assess their potential for harm to human and animal health and the environment in general, and to support regulations that affect their use. A collection of nano-objects is the predominant type of nanomaterial tested and used in commerce.  
5.3 The four types of data and information used to describe a collection of nano-objects are: physical and chemical characteristics; production; specifications; and general identifiers (names and classifications), as shown in Fig. 1.  
FIG. 1 Data and Information Types Necessary to Describe a Collection of Nano-Objects
Used with permission of CODATA from “Uniform Description System for Materials on the Nanoscale,” Version 2.0, http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.56720.  
5.4 This guide deals solely with data and information to describe the physical and chemical characterization of a collection of individual nano-objects.
Note 2: Other guides and documents (see Section 2, Referenced Documents) deal with the data and information for production, specifications, and general identifiers (names and classifications).
Note 3: Specifi...
SCOPE
1.1 This guide provides guidelines for a description system to report the physical and chemical characteristics of collections of nano-objects. It establishes information categories and descriptors useful in describing collections of nano-objects uniquely and such that the equivalency of two or more collections of nano-objects can be determined according to specific criteria.  
1.2 This guide is designed to be directly applicable to reporting the physical and chemical characteristics of collections of nano-objects in most circumstances, including, but not limited to, reporting original research results in the archival literature, developing ontologies, database schemas, data repositories, and data reporting formats, specifying regulations, and enabling commercial activity.  
1.3 This guide is applicable to collections of naturally occurring, engineered, and manufactured nano-objects.  
1.4 One goal of the guide is to help ensure that when measurement results are reported, they are reported uniformly.  
1.5 A second goal of the guide is to encourage reports on the properties and functionalities of a collection of nano-objects to include as much detail as possible about the physical and chemical characteristics of that collection so it is uniquely specified.  
1.6 This guide does not cover the chemical reactions or reactivity of a collection of nano-objects.  
1.7 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.  
1.8 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.9 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization establishe...

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 A nano-object is an individual, well-defined, and separable piece of a nanomaterial; in practice, nanomaterials used in research, products, testing, and other uses are usually collections of nano-objects. Individual nano-objects and collections of nano-objects are the two major types of nanomaterials in use. The description of an individual nano-object is covered in this guide; the description of collections of nano-objects (for example, two or more individual nano-objects) is not covered in this guide.  
5.2 Nanomaterials are of growing importance in research and commerce, and data on their physical and chemical characteristics are critical to predict performance, to transact commercial activities, to assess their potential for harm to human and animal health and the environment in general, and to support regulations that affect their use. To describe nanomaterials, whether for research or commerce, it is important to be able to describe an individual nano-object.  
5.3 When in a liquid environment, a nano-object may attract a non-permanent “halo” of water or other solvent molecules; such a non-permanent halo is not described by the present guide.  
5.4 In contrast, coatings and coronas are semi-permanent or permanent adherents on time scales commensurate with testing procedures; coatings and coronas can fundamentally transform one nano-object to another in terms of its characteristics and can be described using this guide.  
5.5 The four types of data and information used to describe a nano-object are: physical and chemical characteristics; production; specifications; and general identifiers (names and classifications), as shown in Fig. 1.  
5.6 This guide deals solely with data and information to describe the physical and chemical characterization of an individual nano-object.
Note 2: Other guides and documents (see Section 2, Referenced Documents) deal with the data and information for production, specifications, and general identifiers (names and cla...
SCOPE
1.1 This guide provides guidelines for a description system for reporting the physical and chemical characteristics of individual nano-objects. It establishes information categories and descriptors useful in describing individual nano-objects uniquely and such that the equivalency of two or more individual nano-objects can be determined according to specific criteria.  
1.2 This guide is designed to be directly applicable to reporting the physical and chemical characteristics of nano-objects in every circumstance, including but not limited to reporting original research results in the archival literature, developing ontologies, database schemas, data repositories, and data reporting formats, specifying regulations, and enabling commercial activity.  
1.3 This guide is applicable to naturally-occurring, engineered, and manufactured nano-objects.  
1.4 One goal of the guide is to help ensure that when measurement results are reported, they are reported uniformly.  
1.5 A second goal of the guide is to encourage reports on the properties and functionalities of a nano-object to include as much detail as possible about the physical and chemical characteristics of that nano-object so it is uniquely specified.  
1.6 This guide does not cover the chemical reactions or reactivity of a nano-object.  
1.7 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.  
1.8 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.9 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International ...

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
5.1 A nano-object at any specific time can be considered well-defined.  
5.2 The life-cycle of a nano-object can be viewed as a series of production processes that transforms starting materials or a well-defined nano-object into a new, equally well-defined nano-object.  
5.3 Each step of the life-cycle can be considered a separate production action and can be described by the information categories and descriptors within this guide.  
5.4 The following are examples of nano-object productions that can be described by this guide.  
5.4.1 The creation of carbon nanotubes by arc discharge.  
5.4.2 The coating of a nano-object in a random or controlled manner when placed in a liquid.
Note 1: The reactivity of nano-objects makes it likely that even with the utmost precautions, various features and characteristics may change over time, for example, when a nano-object is placed in a liquid and coated. Such a coating can significantly change the properties, functionalities, and reactivity of the nano-object. This change can be considered one step of a life-cycle and is a production process.
Note 2: A nano-object may have more than one coating. For example, titania nano-objects are often coated by alumina by manufacturers to control certain properties. When these previously coated nano-objects are placed in liquid containing biological molecules, they can acquire a second coating. It can require very careful administration of test procedures to ensure the test results can meaningfully be ascribed to characteristics and features of the “initial” nano-objects.  
5.4.3 A nano-object experiences changes to its size, shape, physical structure, and other characteristics.
Note 3: Events such as shock (unexpected forces), temperature and pressure changes, humidity changes, shipping, dissolution, and exposure to acids and bases can result in a changed nano-object with significantly different properties, functionalities, and reactivity. These events can be considered a prod...
SCOPE
1.1 This guide provides guidelines for describing the production of one or more individual nano-objects. It establishes essential and desirable information categories and descriptors important to specify the production process, including the starting materials, the process itself, and the resulting nano-objects.  
1.2 This guide is designed to be directly applicable to reporting production information and data for nano-objects in most circumstances, including but not limited to reporting original research results in the archival literature, developing of ontologies, database schemas, data repositories and data reporting formats, specifying regulations, and enabling commercial activity.  
1.3 This guide is applicable to an individual nano-object and a collection of nano-objects.  
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.  
1.5 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
3.1 This standard is intended to facilitate communication among members of the business, research, legal, government, and educational communities.  
3.2 Definitions:
3.2.1 Terms and their related standard definitions in Section 4 are intended for use uniformly and consistently in all nanotechnology test methods, specifications, guides, and practices. The purpose of such use is to promote a clear understanding and interpretation of the standards in which they are used.  
3.2.2 Definitions of terms are written in the broadest sense possible, consistent with the intended meaning using the following guidance considerations.
3.2.2.1 Terminology E1992 and Practice E1964 concepts are considered, especially Sections 6.5, 7, and 8 of Practice E1964.
3.2.2.2 Terms and nomenclature are based on observed scientific phenomena and are descriptive, distinguishable, and have significant currency in the nanotechnology field as reflected in peer-reviewed articles and other objective sources. These terms and names should not disrupt accepted usage in other scientific and technological fields, and their preferred usage should follow accepted scientific syntax.
3.2.2.3 When incorporating a term or name from a related field, its underlying meaning is not redefined. Modifications are minimal and are done to elucidate scientific distinctions required by nanotechnology practitioners.
3.2.2.4 When conflicting or overlapping terms and names arise between scientific disciplines, precedence was given to the established term that has behind it a significant body of knowledge.
3.2.2.5 The definition of a term that can have different meanings in different technical fields, especially those fields beyond nanotechnology, is preceded by a limiting phrase, for example, “in nanotechnology.”  
3.3 Description of Terms:
3.3.1 Descriptions of Terms are special purpose definitions intended to provide a precise understanding and interpretation of standards in which they are used.  
...
SCOPE
1.1 Nanotechnology is an emerging field; this standard defines the novel terminology developed for its broad multi- and interdisciplinary activities. As the needs of this area develop, this standard will evolve accordingly. Its content may be referenced or adopted, or both, in whole or in part, as demanded by the needs of the individual user.  
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.

SCOPE
1.1 Nanotechnology is an emerging field; this standard defines the novel terminology developed for its broad multi- and interdisciplinary activities. As the needs of this area develop, this standard will evolve accordingly; its content may be referenced and/or adopted, in whole or in part, as demanded by the needs of the individual user.

ABSTRACT
This guide specifies the format for representing and sharing information about nanomaterials, small molecules and biological specimens along with their assay characterization data using spreadsheet or TAB-delimited files. It is intended to facilitate the meaningful submission and exchange of nanomaterial descriptions and characterization data (metadata and summary data) along with the other files (raw/derived data files, image files, protocol documents, etc.) among individual researchers and to or from nanotechnology resources. It also provides researchers with guidelines for representing nanomaterials and characterizations to achieve cross-material comparison.
SCOPE
1.1 This guide (ISA-TAB-Nano) specifies the format for representing and sharing information about nanomaterials, small molecules and biological specimens along with their assay characterization data (including metadata, and summary data) using spreadsheet or TAB-delimited files.  
1.2 The Appendices Sections contain a detailed listing of ISA-TAB-Nano fields (Appendix X1), a practical example (Appendix X2), a discussion of optional files (Appendix X3), and summary of background (Appendix X4).  
1.3 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.  
1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.
WITHDRAWN RATIONALE
This guide (ISA-TAB-Nano) specifies the format for representing and sharing information about nanomaterials, small molecules and biological specimens along with their assay characterization data (including metadata, and summary data) using spreadsheet or TAB-delimited files.
Formerly under the jurisdiction of Committee E56 on Nanotechnology, this guide was withdrawn in December 2021. This standard is being withdrawn without replacement due to its limited use by industry.