SAN DIEGO – The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released a new silver nanoparticle reference material, based on a Californian company's technology, which can be used in the new, emerging field of ‘bio-nanotechnology’, where the strong interaction between silver nanoparticles and specific wavelengths of light can be used for a variety of applications – including technical textiles. Uses include sensing, detection, imaging, lateral flow assays, diagnostics and therapeutics in the medical textiles sector.