Interaction of silver nanoparticles with mediterranean agricultural soils: Lab-controlled adsorption and desorption studies

The production of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) has increased tremendously during recent years due to their antibacterial and physicochemical properties. As a consequence, these particles are released inevitably into the environment, with soil being the main sink of disposal. Soil interactions have an effect on AgNP mobility, transport and bioavailability. To understand AgNP adsorption processes, lab-controlled kinetic studies were performed. Batch tests performed with five different Mediterranean agricultural soils showed that cation exchange capacity and electrical conductivity are the main parameters controlling the adsorption processes. The adsorption kinetics of different sized (40, 75, 100 and 200?nm) and coated (citrate, polyvinylpyrrolidone and polyethyleneglycol (PEG)) AgNPs indicated that these nanoparticle properties have also an effect on the adsorption processes. To assess the mobility and bioavailability of AgNPs and to determine if their form is maintained during adsorption/desorption processes, loaded soils were submitted to leaching tests three weeks after batch adsorption studies. The DIN 38414-S4 extraction method indicated that AgNPs were strongly retained on soils, and single-particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry confirmed that silver particles maintained their nanoform, except for 100?nm PEG-AgNPs and 40?nm citrate-coated AgNPs. The DTPA (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid) leaching test was more effective in extracting silver, but there was no presence of AgNPs in almost all of these leachates.     

Metabolites change of Scenedesmus obliquus exerted by AgNPs

With increasing emission of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) into the environment, it is important to understand the effects of ambient concentration of AgNPs. The biological effects of AgNPs on Scenedesmus obliquus, a ubiquitous freshwater microalgae, was evaluated. AgNPs exerted a minor inhibitory effect at low doses. Non-targeted metabolomic studies were conducted to understand and analyze the effect of AgNPs on algal cells from a molecular perspective. During the 48?hr of exposure to AgNPs, 30 metabolites were identified, of which nine had significant changes compared to the control group. These include d-galactose, sucrose, and d-fructose. These carbohydrates are involved in the synthesis and repair of cell walls. Glycine, an important constituent amino acid of glutathione, increased with AgNP exposure concentration increasing, likely to counteract an increased intracellular oxidative stress. These results provide a new understanding of the toxicity effects and mechanism of AgNPs. These metabolites could be useful biomarkers for future research, employed in the early detection of environmental risk from AgNPs.     

锰钴水滑石/石墨烯电极的制备及催化性能

采用水热法制备了以氧化还原石墨烯（rGO）为载体的锰钴水滑石（LDH）,即MnCo-LDH/rGO复合材料并研究其氧还原性能.在Mn/Co物质的量比为1：3的条件下,MnCo-LDH和MnCo-LDH/rGO的形貌和催化性能最为突出.与MnCo-LDH相比,MnCo-LDH/rGO在Na₂SO₄溶液中的氧化还原峰更加明显（-0.425V）,且峰电流更大,达到0.749mA/cm².将MnCo-LDH/rGO作为阴极,在120min内持续提供30mA/cm²的电流可使浓度为20mg/L的罗丹明B染料（RhB）降解98.6%,具备良好的降解性能.旋转圆盘（RDE）及自由基淬灭实验结果显示,反应中转移电子数为2,且主要自由基为·OH.     

锰钴水滑石/石墨烯电极的制备及催化性能

采用水热法制备了以氧化还原石墨烯（rGO）为载体的锰钴水滑石（LDH）,即MnCo-LDH/rGO复合材料并研究其氧还原性能.在Mn/Co物质的量比为1：3的条件下,MnCo-LDH和MnCo-LDH/rGO的形貌和催化性能最为突出.与MnCo-LDH相比,MnCo-LDH/rGO在Na₂SO₄溶液中的氧化还原峰更加明显（-0.425V）,且峰电流更大,达到0.749mA/cm².将MnCo-LDH/rGO作为阴极,在120min内持续提供30mA/cm²的电流可使浓度为20mg/L的罗丹明B染料（RhB）降解98.6%,具备良好的降解性能.旋转圆盘（RDE）及自由基淬灭实验结果显示,反应中转移电子数为2,且主要自由基为·OH.     

Sunlight-driven reduction of silver ion to silver nanoparticle by organic matter mitigates the acute toxicity of silver to Daphnia magna

Due to the unique antibacterial activities, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been extensively used in commercial products. Anthropogenic activities have released considerable AgNPs as well as highly toxic silver ion (Ag⁺) into the aquatic environment. Our recent study revealed that ubiquitous natural organic matter (NOM) could reduce Ag⁺ to AgNP under natural sunlight. However, the toxic effect of this process is not well understood. In this work, we prepared mixture solution of Ag⁺ and AgNPs with varied Ag⁺% through the sunlight-driven reduction of Ag⁺ by NOM and investigated the acute toxicity of the solutions on Daphnia magna. Formation of AgNPs was demonstrated and characterized by comprehensive techniques and the fraction of unconverted Ag⁺ was determined by ultrafiltration-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry determination. The formation of AgNPs enhanced significantly with the increasing of solution pH and cumulative photosynthetically active radiation of sunlight. The toxicity of the resulting solution was further investigated by using freshwater crustacean D. magna as a model and an 8 hr-median lethal concentration (LC₅₀) demonstrated that the reduction of Ag⁺ by NOM to AgNPs significantly mitigated the acute toxicity of silver. These results highlight the importance of sunlight and NOM in the fate, transformation and toxicity of Ag⁺ and AgNPs, and further indicate that the acute toxicity of AgNPs should be mainly ascribed to the dissolved Ag⁺ from AgNPs.     

Fenton-like degradation of Methylene Blue using paper mill sludge-derived magnetically separable heterogeneous catalyst: Characterization and mechanism

For the paper industry, the disposal and management of the yielded sludge are a considerable challenge. In our work, the paper mill sludge-derived magnetically separable heterogeneous catalyst (PMS-Fe-380) was prepared easily through a facile synthesis method. The morphology and structure of PMS-Fe-380 were fully characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Brunauer–Emmet–Teller analysis. The catalytic activity of PMS-Fe-380 was evaluated by degradation of Methylene Blue (MB). The reusability and stability of PMS-Fe-380 were evaluated in five repeated runs, which suggested that PMS-Fe-380 manifested excellent stability of catalytic activity. Moreover, leaching tests indicated that the leached iron is negligible (< 0.5 mg/L). This study provides an alternative environmentally friendly reuse method for paper mill sludge and a novel catalyst PMS-Fe-380 that can be considered as a promising heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst.     

BiVO4/rGO涂膜电极光电催化测定水样中的COD

准确、及时且环境友好地检测水体的化学需氧量(COD)已成为环境监测领域的重要研究课题。采用溶液燃烧法和旋转涂膜法制备了一种可见光响应型BiVO₄/rGO涂膜电极用于COD测定,并考察了该电极用于COD检测的光电化学性能。利用X-射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、比表面积分析(BET)探究复合电极结构,表明基底完全被BiVO₄/rGO覆盖。采用循环伏安法(CV)、光电流-时间法(I-t)测试其光电性能,确定最佳制备条件为：煅烧温度为500℃、掺杂rGO为5 mL、涂膜厚度为4层。通过考察其测试参数得出,在工作电压为1.0 V、支持电解质为0.1 mol/L Na₂SO₄、光照强度为400μW/cm²、pH为6～8可得到稳定可靠的测试结果。利用BiVO₄/rGO涂膜电极测定有机物溶液COD的测定范围为12.18～719.8 mg/L,转移净电荷量(Q_net)和理论COD间呈良好的线性关系。用于实际水样COD测定时,在60 s内...     

金属-有机骨架MIL-88A(Fe)及其复合物的合成与高级氧化降解水体有机污染物的研究进展

本文综述了MIL-88A(Fe)及其复合物的合成方法、形貌调控及其作为异相催化剂实现光芬顿、活化PS(persulfate, 过硫酸盐)和催化臭氧氧化等高级氧化过程去除水体有机污染物的研究进展. 系统介绍了利用水/溶剂热法、超声法、微波法、室温搅拌法、机械化学法、重结晶法和光化学还原法制备MIL-88A(Fe)及其复合物的反应条件和产物形貌特征. MIL-88A(Fe)具有环境友好、能被可见光激发及稳定性好等特点,其表面Fe(Ⅲ)不饱和位点丰富且均匀,利于作为催化剂用于高级氧化. MIL-88A(Fe)受光激发产生的光生电子-空穴容易复合,导致其光催化性能较差. 但在类芬顿、激发PS和催化臭氧氧化等体系中,添加的氧化剂作为电子受体快速消耗电子,有效克服了光生电子-空穴复合问题. 此外,将MIL-88A(Fe)与其他功能材料复合可进一步改善其光生电子-空穴分离效率、提高光吸收能力及水稳定性. 总之,MIL-88A(Fe)及其复合物在光芬顿、活化PS和催化臭氧氧化降解有机污染物方面具有较大的实际应用潜力.      

Long-term effects of environmentally relevant concentrations of silver nanoparticles on microbial biomass, enzyme activity, and functional genes involved in the nitrogen cycle of loamy soil

The increasing production and use of engineered silver nanoparticles (AgNP) in industry and private households are leading to increased concentrations of AgNP in the environment. An ecological risk assessment of AgNP is needed, but it requires understanding the long term effects of environmentally relevant concentrations of AgNP on the soil microbiome. Hence, the aim of this study was to reveal the long-term effects of AgNP on soil microorganisms. The study was conducted as a laboratory incubation experiment over a period of one year using a loamy soil and AgNP concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 1?mg?AgNP/kg soil. The short term effects of AgNP were, in general, limited. However, after one year of exposure to 0.01?mg?AgNP/kg, there were significant negative effects on soil microbial biomass (quantified by extractable DNA; p?=?0.000) and bacterial ammonia oxidizers (quantified by amoA gene copy numbers; p?=?0.009). Furthermore, the tested AgNP concentrations significantly decreased the soil microbial biomass, the leucine aminopeptidase activity (quantified by substrate turnover; p?=?0.014), and the abundance of nitrogen fixing microorganisms (quantified by nifH gene copy numbers; p?=?0.001). The results of the positive control with AgNO3 revealed predominantly stronger effects due to Ag⁺ ion release. Thus, the increasing toxicity of AgNP during the test period may reflect the long-term release of Ag⁺ ions. Nevertheless, even very low concentrations of AgNP caused disadvantages for the microbial soil community, especially for nitrogen cycling, and our results confirmed the risks of releasing AgNP into the environment.     

Water chemistry controlled aggregation and photo-transformation of silver nanoparticles in environmental waters

The inevitable release of engineered silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) into aquatic environments has drawn great concerns about its environmental toxicity and safety. Although aggregation and transformation play crucial roles in the transport and toxicity of AgNPs, how the water chemistry of environmental waters influences the aggregation and transformation of engineered AgNPs is still not well understood. In this study, the aggregation of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) coated AgNPs was investigated in eight typical environmental water samples (with different ionic strengths, hardness, and dissolved organic matter (DOM) concentrations) by using UV–visible spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering. Raman spectroscopy was applied to probe the interaction of DOM with the surface of AgNPs. Further, the photo-transformation and morphology changes of AgNPs in environmental waters were studied by UV–visible spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and transmission electron microscopy. The results suggested that both electrolytes (especially Ca^2 + and Mg^2 +) and DOM in the surface waters are key parameters for AgNP aggregation, and sunlight could accelerate the morphology change, aggregation, and further sedimentation of AgNPs. This water chemistry controlled aggregation and photo-transformation should have significant environmental impacts on the transport and toxicity of AgNPs in the aquatic environments.     

Engineering of responsive polymer based nano-reactors for facile mass transport and enhanced catalytic degradation of 4-nitrophenol

Silver nanoparticles with average diameter of 10 ± 3 nm were synthesized within the sieves of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate-acrylic acid)(p(NIPAAm-HEMA-AAc))polymer microgels. Free radial emulsion polymerization was employed for synthesis of p(NIPAAm-HEMA-AAc) polymer microgels. Silver nanoparticles were introduced within the microgels sphere by in situ reduction method. Microgels and hybrid microgels were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ultra violet-visible spectroscopy,transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering measurements. Catalytic activity of Ag-p(NIPAAm-HEMA-AAc) hybrid microgels was studied using catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol(4-NP) as a model reaction in aqueous media. The influence of sodium borohydride(Na BH4) concentration, catalyst dose and 4-NP concentration on catalytic reduction of 4-NP was investigated. A linear relationship was found between catalyst dose and apparent rate constant(kapp). The mechanism of catalysis by hybrid microgels was explored for further development in this area. The deep analysis of catalytic process reveals that the unique combination of NIPAAm, HEMA and AAc does not only stabilize silver nanoparticles in polymer network but it also enhances the mass transport of hydrophilic substrate like 4-NP from outside to inside the polymer network.     

Low-temperature plasma induced phosphate groups onto coffee residue-derived porous carbon for efficient U(VI) extraction

For the continuous utilization of nuclear energy and efficient control of radioactive pollution, low-cost materials with high efficient U(VI) removal are of great importance. In this study, low temperature plasma method was applied for the successful modification of O-phosphorylethanolamine (O-PEA) on the porous carbon materials. The produced materials (Cafe/O-PEA) could adsorb U(VI) efficiently with the maximum sorption capacity of 648.54 mg/g at 1 hr, T=298 K, and pH=6.0, much higher than those of most carbon-based composites. U(VI) sorption was mainly controlled by strong surface complexation. From FTIR, SEM-EDS and XPS analyses, the sorption of U(VI) was related to the complexation with -NH₂, phosphate and -OH groups on Cafe/O-PEA. The low temperature plasma method was an efficient, environmentally friendly and low-cost method for surface modification of materials for the effective enrichment of U(VI) from aqueous solutions.     

小麦对纳米银的吸收及毒性响应

以纳米银（AgNPs）为研究对象,Ag⁺（AgNO₃）为对照,通过添加半胱氨酸（L-cysteine）探讨小麦对AgNPs的吸收累积和毒性响应.小麦幼苗于不同浓度的AgNPs悬浮液中培养4h后,根系出现氧化应激反应和细胞膜损伤,丙二醛（MDA）和过氧化氢酶（CAT）含量分别由对照组的（2.9±0.5）nmol/L/mgprot和（8.6±1.2）U/mgprot增加至（4.9±1.5）nmol/L/mgprot和（12.4±1.2）U/mgprot.半胱氨酸缓解了AgNO₃对小麦的毒性并使小麦对AgNO₃的吸收速率常数从（275.4±12.3）L/（kg×h）降低到（210.8±11.2）L/（kg×h）.然而,半胱氨酸并没有缓解AgNPs对小麦的毒性,且AgNPs的吸收速率常数没有显著性变化[（12.6±0.8）和（11.2±0.6）L/（kg×h）].这说明AgNPs对小麦的有效性和毒性不仅来源于其释放的Ag⁺,还来源于纳米颗粒本身.通过进一步计算AgNPs暴露液中不同形态Ag的吸收速率常数,发现Ag⁺吸收速率常数最高[（275.4±12.3）L/（kg×h）],Ag-cysteine络合物吸收速率常数次之[（210.8±11.2）L/（kg×h）],纳米颗粒吸收速率常数最低[1.6L/（kg×h）].实验中建立了吸收速率常数预测方程,该方程预测结果与实验观测结果一致,说明该方程能够较好地描述小麦吸收AgNPs的具体过程.     

具有不同粒径和相同表面结构纳米银颗粒的制备及表征

具有不同粒径相同表面结构AgNPs（nano-silver,纳米银）的可控合成是开展AgNPs毒性研究和风险评估的基础,也是材料制备领域的难点之一.采取化学还原的方法,使用AgNO₃（硝酸银）作为反应前体,使用TSC（trisodium citrate,柠檬酸三钠）和NaBH₄（sodium borohydride,硼氢化钠）作为稳定剂及还原剂,通过优化剂量比和反应条件等合成参数,一步式原位反应生成不同粒径的AgNPs.利用TEM（透射电子显微镜）、UV-Vis（紫外可见分光光谱）、ICP-MS（电感耦合等离子体质谱）、FT-IR（傅里叶转换红外光谱）和DLS（动态光散射）等技术综合表征了合成纳米颗粒的形貌和结构性质.结果表明:①TEM结果显示,3种AgNPs均为球形且粒径分别为12、25和33 nm.②UV-Vis表征结果显示,所得产物在391~408 nm之间有较强吸收,说明合成产物为AgNPs.③利用ICP-MS测试样品中未反应的ρ（Ag+）,得出该制备方法具有高产率（>99%）.④DLS结果证实了合成的AgNPs在水溶液中带负电荷且具有较窄的粒度分布.⑤FT-IR结果显示,所制备的AgNPs表面结构一致,具有碳碳双键、酯基、羧基和羟基等官能团,在材料制备的过程中,溶液的初始配比、反应时间及环境条件都会对反应结果产生很大影响.研究显示,通过化学还原方法制备的AgNPs具有方法简便、重现性好、产率高和单分散性的特点,所制备的系列AgNPs颗粒表面结构一致,具有良好的化学稳定性.      

纳米银对聚磷菌吸磷和释磷的影响及毒性效应

利用硼氢化钠还原硝酸银,并使用聚乙烯醇（PVA）作为分散剂,制备出分散良好、粒径为（14±3）nm的纳米银颗粒,考察了其对聚磷菌（Microlunatus phosphovorus）好氧吸磷和厌氧释磷的影响,以及产生的毒性效应.结果表明,在好氧状态下,7mg/L的纳米银能够完全抑制聚磷菌的生长（P <0.01）,达到10mg/L时才能完全抑制聚磷菌的吸磷能力（P=0.01）;在厌氧状态下,大于20mg/L的纳米银才使聚磷菌释磷能力受到部分抑制（P <0.05）.活性氧簇（ROS）和扫描电子显微镜（SEM）的检测结果表明,纳米银使细菌体内ROS水平降低,部分细菌菌体表面塌陷,这说明,纳米银不但可以毒害聚磷菌菌体表面,还可以降低菌内ROS水平.     

微米SiC/石墨烯复合物光催化降解罗丹明B

为发展低耗和环境友好的有机物降解技术,采用光催化还原制备微米级碳化硅(SiC)/石墨烯复合材料,XRD、FTIR、Raman光谱、XPS和SEM等手段表征其物相组成和形貌结构,并以罗丹明B(RhB)为模拟污染物,研究了复合材料在可见光照射下的光催化活性和稳定性;通过活性物种捕获实验初步探讨了RhB的光催化降解机制.结果表明,SiC与石墨烯复合延长了光生电子和光生空穴的寿命,提高了材料的光催化活性与稳定性.当SiC/石墨烯配比为1∶0. 8时,光照60 min时RhB的降解率可以达到92. 7%,降解过程符合一级反应动力学方程.光催化降解RhB过程中,主要活性物种的贡献依次为:光生空穴(h~+)超氧阴离子自由基(·O_2~-)光生电子(e~-)羟基自由基(·OH).     

纳米银对小球藻光合作用和呼吸作用的影响

使用硼氢化钠还原硝酸银,聚乙烯醇(PVA)作为分散剂,制备出粒径为(7 ± 3)nm的纳米银,分别使用计数法和溶解氧法,研究了纳米银对小球藻(Chlorella vulgaris)生长、光合作用和呼吸作用的影响,并调查了对叶绿素a的抑制状况.结果显示,黑暗条件下加入3mg/L的纳米银,基本抑制了小球藻的呼吸作用,当暴露于4mg/L的纳米银时,小球藻生长的抑制率为93%;而光照条件下加入10mg/L纳米银时,才能抑制其光合作用,此时对小球藻生长的抑制率达到90%.光照时,叶绿素a在10mg/L纳米银的作用下,抑制率达到77%.研究表明了纳米银对小球藻呼吸作用有很强的抑制作用,对光合作用的影响可能通过抑制叶绿素a的合成或破坏叶绿体的结构来完成;光照能够明显减弱纳米银的毒性.     

电化学微传感器检测水中痕量铜离子

为改善微电极在阳极溶出伏安法检测重金属离子过程中低电流响应和低电催化能力的缺点,提出了一种在碳纤维微电极表面合成还原氧化石墨烯/纳米金材料制得还原氧化石墨烯纳米金修饰碳纤维微电极（rGO/AuNPs CFMEs）的方法.通过SEM表征,所制备的rGO/AuNPs CFMEs具有比表面积高、吸附能力强和催化活性好的特点,因此改性微电极适合作为方波阳极溶出伏安法（SWASV）测定水中铜离子（Cu²⁺）的工作电极.在构建微传感器测试水中痕量铜离子系统后,对pH值、电导率、富集时间和富集电位等检测条件进行了优化.在pH值为4,电导率为36.1S/m,富集时间为360s,富集电位为-1.2V的最佳条件下,铜的线性范围和检出限分别0~1.0μmol/L和2.4nmol/L.此外,微传感器的可重复性、长期稳定性以及选择性也得到了验证.     

Adsorption of VOCs on reduced graphene oxide

A modified Hummer's method was adopted for the synthesis of graphene oxide(GO) and reduced graphene oxide(rGO). It was revealed that the modified method is effective for the production of GO and rGO from graphite. Transmission electron microscopy(TEM) images of GO and rGO showed a sheet-like morphology. Because of the presence of oxygenated functional groups on the carbon surface, the interlayer spacing of the prepared GO was higher than that of rGO. The presence of \OH and C_O groups in the Fourier transform infrared spectra(FTIR) spectrum and G-mode and 2D-mode in Raman spectra confirmed the synthesis of GO and rGO. rGO(292.6 m~2/g) showed higher surface area than that of GO(236.4 m~2/g). The prepared rGO was used as an adsorbent for benzene and toluene(model pollutants of volatile organic compounds(VOCs)) under dynamic adsorption/desorption conditions. rGO showed higher adsorption capacity and breakthrough times than GO. The adsorption capacity of rGO for benzene and toluene was 276.4 and 304.4 mg/g, respectively.Desorption experiments showed that the spent rGO can be successfully regenerated by heating at 150.0°C. Its excellent adsorption/desorption performance for benzene and toluene makes rGO a potential adsorbent for VOC adsorption.