Nanomaterials exhibit significant advantages in biomedical applications. However, their potential risks to organisms cannot be overlooked, particularly during early development. Traditional methods for assessing organ-specific toxicity are limited by their difficulty in exploring differences between materials at the nanoscale resolution. The novel expansion microscopy technique (ExM) provides an effective solution for high-resolution nanoscale imaging, allowing biological samples to be expanded approximately 4.5 times in three-dimensional space. ExM enables the visualization of proteins and nucleic acid targets in cells and tissues using conventional optical microscopy, achieving nanoscale imaging. The widespread application of nano zinc oxide (nZnO) in the biomedical field has raised concerns regarding toxicity. This study systematically assesses the toxicological changes and sources of nZnO and Zn²⁺ in the visual, skeletal muscle, and digestive systems. Our results indicated that appropriate concentrations of nZnO supported the normal early development in the visual and skeletal muscle systems, while potentially leading to excessive toxicity in the digestive system. Conversely, the concentrations of nZnO suitable for the development of the digestive system may be inadequate for the needs of the visual and skeletal muscle systems. This discrepancy may arise from differences in the solubility and bioaccessibility of nZnO in gastrointestinal fluids. Further RNA sequencing revealed differences in the sensitivity of various organs to nanomaterial exposure, highlighting the necessity of implementing comprehensive risk assessment strategies in toxicology. Overall, we visualized and quantified the subtle developmental toxicities of nZnO and Zn²⁺ across different organs for the first time. The application of expansion microscopy technique offered a novel perspective for evaluating the toxicity of nanomaterials.
{"title":"Expansion Microscopy Revealed Specific Impacts of Nano Zinc Oxide on Early Organ Development in Fish","authors":"Mengyu WANG, Wen-Xiong Wang","doi":"10.1039/d4en01071j","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4en01071j","url":null,"abstract":"Nanomaterials exhibit significant advantages in biomedical applications. However, their potential risks to organisms cannot be overlooked, particularly during early development. Traditional methods for assessing organ-specific toxicity are limited by their difficulty in exploring differences between materials at the nanoscale resolution. The novel expansion microscopy technique (ExM) provides an effective solution for high-resolution nanoscale imaging, allowing biological samples to be expanded approximately 4.5 times in three-dimensional space. ExM enables the visualization of proteins and nucleic acid targets in cells and tissues using conventional optical microscopy, achieving nanoscale imaging. The widespread application of nano zinc oxide (nZnO) in the biomedical field has raised concerns regarding toxicity. This study systematically assesses the toxicological changes and sources of nZnO and Zn²⁺ in the visual, skeletal muscle, and digestive systems. Our results indicated that appropriate concentrations of nZnO supported the normal early development in the visual and skeletal muscle systems, while potentially leading to excessive toxicity in the digestive system. Conversely, the concentrations of nZnO suitable for the development of the digestive system may be inadequate for the needs of the visual and skeletal muscle systems. This discrepancy may arise from differences in the solubility and bioaccessibility of nZnO in gastrointestinal fluids. Further RNA sequencing revealed differences in the sensitivity of various organs to nanomaterial exposure, highlighting the necessity of implementing comprehensive risk assessment strategies in toxicology. Overall, we visualized and quantified the subtle developmental toxicities of nZnO and Zn²⁺ across different organs for the first time. The application of expansion microscopy technique offered a novel perspective for evaluating the toxicity of nanomaterials.","PeriodicalId":73,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Nano","volume":"79 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.131,"publicationDate":"2025-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142990726","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Graphene oxide (GO) and graphene oxide-gold (GO-Au) nanohybrids offer promising applications in nanomedicine, biosensing, and environmental technology due to their unique properties. However, concerns regarding their environmental and biological safety remain largely unexplored. This study, using a Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) approach, evaluates the cytotoxicity, oxidative stress, and dispersion stability of GO and GO-Au nanohybrids in zebrafish ZF4 cells. GO was synthesised using a modified Hummer’s method and GO-Au nanohybrids were prepared by incorporating gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) into the GO matrix. Physicochemical characterisation revealed enhanced dispersion stability of GO-Au nanohybrids, retaining over 98% of their initial absorbance in ultrapure water (UPW) and over 95% in DMEM/F12 after 48 hours. In contrast, GO displayed higher levels of sedimentation. Toxicity assessments indicated a dose- and time-dependent decrease in cell viability. After 72 hours, ZF4 cell viability was reduced to 39.5% at 150 µg/mL of GO, whereas GO-Au treatment at the same concentration exhibited a less severe reduction (54.5% viability). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was significantly higher in GO-treated cells compared to GO-Au, with GO generating approximately 2x more ROS at concentrations of 50 µg/mL and 100 µg/mL. Apoptosis and necrosis rates were also significantly elevated in GO-treated cells, with necrosis reaching 53.1% at 100 µg/mL, compared to 14.6% in GO-Au-treated cells. The findings demonstrate that the incorporation of AuNPs reduce cytotoxicity and oxidative stress by enhancing the colloidal stability of GO-Au nanohybrids. This study provides critical baseline data on the interaction of GO-based nanomaterials (NMs) with biological systems and highlights the importance of NMs modification for safer, more sustainable applications.
氧化石墨烯（GO）和氧化石墨烯-金（GO- au）纳米杂化材料由于其独特的性能，在纳米医学、生物传感和环境技术方面具有广阔的应用前景。然而，对其环境和生物安全的关切在很大程度上仍未得到探讨。本研究采用安全可持续设计（Safe and Sustainable by Design, SSbD）方法，评估氧化石墨烯和氧化石墨烯-金纳米杂种在斑马鱼ZF4细胞中的细胞毒性、氧化应激和分散稳定性。采用改进的Hummer方法合成氧化石墨烯，并将金纳米颗粒（AuNPs）掺入氧化石墨烯基质中制备出氧化石墨烯-金纳米杂化物。物理化学表征表明，GO-Au纳米杂化体的分散稳定性增强，48小时后在超纯水（UPW）中保持98%以上的初始吸光度，在DMEM/F12中保持95%以上的初始吸光度。相比之下，氧化石墨烯显示出更高的沉积水平。毒性评估表明，剂量和时间依赖性细胞活力下降。72小时后，在150µg/mL氧化石墨酸浓度下，ZF4细胞活力降低至39.5%，而相同浓度的氧化石墨酸au处理的细胞活力降低程度较轻（54.5%）。氧化石墨烯处理的细胞中活性氧（ROS）的生成明显高于氧化石墨烯- au，在浓度为50µg/mL和100µg/mL时，氧化石墨烯产生的ROS大约是氧化石墨烯的两倍。氧化石墨烯处理的细胞凋亡率和坏死率也显著升高，在100µg/mL浓度下，坏死率达到53.1%，而氧化石墨烯-金处理的细胞坏死率为14.6%。研究结果表明，AuNPs的掺入通过增强GO-Au纳米杂交体的胶体稳定性来降低细胞毒性和氧化应激。本研究提供了氧化石墨烯基纳米材料（NMs）与生物系统相互作用的关键基线数据，并强调了纳米材料改性对于更安全、更可持续应用的重要性。
{"title":"Designing Safer Nanohybrids: Stability and Ecotoxicological Assessment of Graphene Oxide-Gold Nanoparticles Hybrids in Embryonic Zebrafish","authors":"Bashiru Ibrahim, Taiwo Hassan Akere, Pankti Dhumal, Eugenia Valsami-Jones, Swaroop Chakraborty","doi":"10.1039/d4en01173b","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4en01173b","url":null,"abstract":"Graphene oxide (GO) and graphene oxide-gold (GO-Au) nanohybrids offer promising applications in nanomedicine, biosensing, and environmental technology due to their unique properties. However, concerns regarding their environmental and biological safety remain largely unexplored. This study, using a Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) approach, evaluates the cytotoxicity, oxidative stress, and dispersion stability of GO and GO-Au nanohybrids in zebrafish ZF4 cells. GO was synthesised using a modified Hummer’s method and GO-Au nanohybrids were prepared by incorporating gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) into the GO matrix. Physicochemical characterisation revealed enhanced dispersion stability of GO-Au nanohybrids, retaining over 98% of their initial absorbance in ultrapure water (UPW) and over 95% in DMEM/F12 after 48 hours. In contrast, GO displayed higher levels of sedimentation. Toxicity assessments indicated a dose- and time-dependent decrease in cell viability. After 72 hours, ZF4 cell viability was reduced to 39.5% at 150 µg/mL of GO, whereas GO-Au treatment at the same concentration exhibited a less severe reduction (54.5% viability). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was significantly higher in GO-treated cells compared to GO-Au, with GO generating approximately 2x more ROS at concentrations of 50 µg/mL and 100 µg/mL. Apoptosis and necrosis rates were also significantly elevated in GO-treated cells, with necrosis reaching 53.1% at 100 µg/mL, compared to 14.6% in GO-Au-treated cells. The findings demonstrate that the incorporation of AuNPs reduce cytotoxicity and oxidative stress by enhancing the colloidal stability of GO-Au nanohybrids. This study provides critical baseline data on the interaction of GO-based nanomaterials (NMs) with biological systems and highlights the importance of NMs modification for safer, more sustainable applications.","PeriodicalId":73,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Nano","volume":"33 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.131,"publicationDate":"2025-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142992328","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ali Ansari, Afsana Munni, Dianne Carrillo, Matthew Pedersen, Rafiqul Islam, Francois Perreault
Deep space missions will bring new challenges, beyond our experience so far with International Space Station, to life support systems including water supply. The complexity of these missions might leave spacecrafts and facilities uncrewed for several months. In this situation, biofilm growth can deteriorate the quality of stored water and cause water supply system failure during reinitiation, threating the mission success. Antimicrobial coatings have been used for biofilm mitigation in various conditions. A successful coating to control biofilm formation in deep space mission, among other things, must have long lifetime considering the duration of such missions. In this study, a solution was provided to the biggest drawback of silver nanoparticles as antimicrobial coating; short lifetime. Passivating with sulfide was tested to control silver ion release from silver nanoparticles, hence, prolonging antimicrobial activity. Stainless steel bellow pieces, as the most prone parts to biofilm growth, was chosen as the substrate. The pieces were coated with silver and passivated silver with different passivation degree to find the optimum condition. The substrates were exposed to Pseudomonas aeruginosa in M9 medium for 12 months for biofilm formation. The bacteria count on the bellow pieces as a representative of biofilm as well as bacteria count and silver ion concentration in M9 medium were measured at 1.5, 3, 6, and 12-month timepoints. Passivation slowed down silver ion release rate from silver nanoparticles, however, biofilm mitigation at the end of the experiment for one passivated coating was the same as silver coating, which means the passivated coating can last longer by releasing less antimicrobial agent, silver ions. Besides performance in biofilm mitigation, we demonstrated that the bellows can be coated homogeneously in a continuous reactor and passivation can enhance the stability of the coating to mechanical stress during expansion/retraction of the bellow, paving the way for application of passivated silver coating for space missions.
{"title":"Coating of complex metallic surfaces with passivated silver nanoparticles for long-term biofilm control","authors":"Ali Ansari, Afsana Munni, Dianne Carrillo, Matthew Pedersen, Rafiqul Islam, Francois Perreault","doi":"10.1039/d4en00797b","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4en00797b","url":null,"abstract":"Deep space missions will bring new challenges, beyond our experience so far with International Space Station, to life support systems including water supply. The complexity of these missions might leave spacecrafts and facilities uncrewed for several months. In this situation, biofilm growth can deteriorate the quality of stored water and cause water supply system failure during reinitiation, threating the mission success. Antimicrobial coatings have been used for biofilm mitigation in various conditions. A successful coating to control biofilm formation in deep space mission, among other things, must have long lifetime considering the duration of such missions. In this study, a solution was provided to the biggest drawback of silver nanoparticles as antimicrobial coating; short lifetime. Passivating with sulfide was tested to control silver ion release from silver nanoparticles, hence, prolonging antimicrobial activity. Stainless steel bellow pieces, as the most prone parts to biofilm growth, was chosen as the substrate. The pieces were coated with silver and passivated silver with different passivation degree to find the optimum condition. The substrates were exposed to Pseudomonas aeruginosa in M9 medium for 12 months for biofilm formation. The bacteria count on the bellow pieces as a representative of biofilm as well as bacteria count and silver ion concentration in M9 medium were measured at 1.5, 3, 6, and 12-month timepoints. Passivation slowed down silver ion release rate from silver nanoparticles, however, biofilm mitigation at the end of the experiment for one passivated coating was the same as silver coating, which means the passivated coating can last longer by releasing less antimicrobial agent, silver ions. Besides performance in biofilm mitigation, we demonstrated that the bellows can be coated homogeneously in a continuous reactor and passivation can enhance the stability of the coating to mechanical stress during expansion/retraction of the bellow, paving the way for application of passivated silver coating for space missions.","PeriodicalId":73,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Nano","volume":"102 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.131,"publicationDate":"2025-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142991015","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Katalin Viktória Bere, Zsolt Csenki-Bakos, Edit Kaszab, Béla Urbányi, István Szabó, István Szilágyi
The interaction between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and nanoplastics (NPLs) in the environment is a growing concern due to their possible combined toxicity and potential impacts on ecosystems and human health. In aqueous compartments, their common migration strongly depends on the colloidal stability of the particles. Here, a clear relation between the toxicity and aggregation stage of colloids containing positively charged polystyrene NPL and perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) PFAS was established. PFHxA adsorption on NPL altered the particle charge leading to unstable dispersions at the charge neutralization point and stable ones away from this condition. Toxicity studies on zebrafish embryos shed light on the synergistic mortality effect of the NPL-PFHxA adducts, and such a synergy strengthened with the increase in the dispersion stability highlighting the importance of environmental conditions like the NPL-to-PFAS ratio. The findings unambiguously demonstrate that high colloidal stability of environmental samples polluted with both NPL and PFAS leads to remarkable synergistic toxicity on living ecosystems, while the individual particles are expected to migrate faster in the environment than their aggregated counterparts.
{"title":"Correlation between the stability and toxicity of PFAS-nanoplastic colloids","authors":"Katalin Viktória Bere, Zsolt Csenki-Bakos, Edit Kaszab, Béla Urbányi, István Szabó, István Szilágyi","doi":"10.1039/d4en00948g","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4en00948g","url":null,"abstract":"The interaction between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and nanoplastics (NPLs) in the environment is a growing concern due to their possible combined toxicity and potential impacts on ecosystems and human health. In aqueous compartments, their common migration strongly depends on the colloidal stability of the particles. Here, a clear relation between the toxicity and aggregation stage of colloids containing positively charged polystyrene NPL and perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) PFAS was established. PFHxA adsorption on NPL altered the particle charge leading to unstable dispersions at the charge neutralization point and stable ones away from this condition. Toxicity studies on zebrafish embryos shed light on the synergistic mortality effect of the NPL-PFHxA adducts, and such a synergy strengthened with the increase in the dispersion stability highlighting the importance of environmental conditions like the NPL-to-PFAS ratio. The findings unambiguously demonstrate that high colloidal stability of environmental samples polluted with both NPL and PFAS leads to remarkable synergistic toxicity on living ecosystems, while the individual particles are expected to migrate faster in the environment than their aggregated counterparts.","PeriodicalId":73,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Nano","volume":"45 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.131,"publicationDate":"2025-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142991016","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hui Li, Zhu Zhu, Kai yang, Kang-Qiang Lu, Xirong Chen, Weiya Huang, Zhao-Qing Liu
Interfacial chemical bonding is essential for speeding up the separation and transfer of charge carriers at the heterojunction interface, thereby improving the photocatalytic activity. Herein, two-dimensional ZnFe2O4 nanosheets were grown in situ on Bi-MOF nanorods by a facile hydrothermal method, creating Bi-MOF/ZnFe2O4 heterojunctions with interfacial Bi–O–Zn bonds. The optimized sample (ZFB-2) exhibited significantly higher photocatalytic degradation efficiency of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC), which was 41.7 times and 2.0 times that of Bi-MOF and ZnFe2O4, respectively. Furthermore, ZFB-2 exhibited notable stability, demonstrating no obvious reduction in TC removal across five cyclic experiments, while also retaining its interfacial Bi–O–Zn bonds and morphology. The interfacial Bi–O–Zn bonds not only boosted the light absorption of ZFB-2 but also expedited the transfer of charge carriers via an S-scheme charge transfer pathway, functioning as conduits for charge transfer. It was found that h+ and ·O2– were the dominating active species, and the coexisting ions had a negligible effect on photocatalytic degradation of TC over ZFB-2. The potential degradation routes for tetracycline were outlined, and the toxicity of the resulting intermediates was assessed. This study offers a deep understanding of interfacial modulation of MOF-based S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts and their enhanced performances in wastewater treatment for antibiotic removal.
{"title":"Interfacial Bi–O–Zn bonding induces faster charge transfer in S-scheme Bi-MOF/ZnFe2O4 heterojunction for enhanced photocatalytic tetracycline elimination","authors":"Hui Li, Zhu Zhu, Kai yang, Kang-Qiang Lu, Xirong Chen, Weiya Huang, Zhao-Qing Liu","doi":"10.1039/d4en01157k","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4en01157k","url":null,"abstract":"Interfacial chemical bonding is essential for speeding up the separation and transfer of charge carriers at the heterojunction interface, thereby improving the photocatalytic activity. Herein, two-dimensional ZnFe2O4 nanosheets were grown in situ on Bi-MOF nanorods by a facile hydrothermal method, creating Bi-MOF/ZnFe2O4 heterojunctions with interfacial Bi–O–Zn bonds. The optimized sample (ZFB-2) exhibited significantly higher photocatalytic degradation efficiency of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC), which was 41.7 times and 2.0 times that of Bi-MOF and ZnFe2O4, respectively. Furthermore, ZFB-2 exhibited notable stability, demonstrating no obvious reduction in TC removal across five cyclic experiments, while also retaining its interfacial Bi–O–Zn bonds and morphology. The interfacial Bi–O–Zn bonds not only boosted the light absorption of ZFB-2 but also expedited the transfer of charge carriers via an S-scheme charge transfer pathway, functioning as conduits for charge transfer. It was found that h+ and ·O2– were the dominating active species, and the coexisting ions had a negligible effect on photocatalytic degradation of TC over ZFB-2. The potential degradation routes for tetracycline were outlined, and the toxicity of the resulting intermediates was assessed. This study offers a deep understanding of interfacial modulation of MOF-based S-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts and their enhanced performances in wastewater treatment for antibiotic removal.","PeriodicalId":73,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Nano","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.131,"publicationDate":"2025-01-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142987910","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Constantin Christ, Alrun Waldl, Yingnan Liu, Litty Johnson, Vanessa Auer, Olavo Cardozo, Patricia M. A. Farias, Arnaldo C. D. S. Andrade, Andreas Stingl, Martin Himly, Benjamin Punz, Su Li, Guocheng Wang, Yang Li
About 13.7 million people died worldwide from infectious diseases in 2019 which accounts for one fifth of all annual deaths. Infectious diseases are caused by microbes (i.e. bacteria, fungi, viruses) predominantly targeting the respiratory system, bloodstream, gastrointestinal region and urinary tract, which can lead to severe health problems. Microbes can naturally adapt and develop antimicrobial resistance to conventional medication. Health systems are concerned by the overuse of antibiotics in the medical, agricultural, and food industry. This leads to bacterial multidrug resistance, causing more than half a million deaths annually. In consequence, research and innovation have focused on nano-scaled advanced materials to explore their potential to reinforce antimicrobial treatments. Advanced materials are complex composites that achieve superior, combined functionalities with an optimized safety, sustainability, and circularity profile. They often contain nano-scaled materials, which are highly versatile, organic, or inorganic materials that can adopt different sizes, compositions, topographies, and surface modifications. All these properties need to be carefully defined using physicochemical characterization techniques and should be considered when selecting the most efficient nanomaterials against widespread microbes. In this review, we cover (i) potential candidates of engineered nanomaterials, their physicochemical characteristics, and demonstrate their efficacy in antimicrobial action; (ii) the mechanisms of action against microbes specific to nanomaterials; (iii) well-established methods and highlight methodological advancements; (iv) the potential improvements in sustainability and circularity and (v) the current and future fields of application and ongoing development in the medical, agricultural, high-tech, textile, and food industry. For the first time, nano-scaled advanced materials produced by green synthesis methods are discussed in respect to their gain in sustainability and circularity and a comprehensive set of methodologies for safety, sustainability, and circularity assessment are described in detail.
{"title":"Nano-scaled advanced materials for antimicrobial applications – mechanistic insight, functional performance measures, and potentials towards sustainability and circularity","authors":"Constantin Christ, Alrun Waldl, Yingnan Liu, Litty Johnson, Vanessa Auer, Olavo Cardozo, Patricia M. A. Farias, Arnaldo C. D. S. Andrade, Andreas Stingl, Martin Himly, Benjamin Punz, Su Li, Guocheng Wang, Yang Li","doi":"10.1039/d4en00798k","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4en00798k","url":null,"abstract":"About 13.7 million people died worldwide from infectious diseases in 2019 which accounts for one fifth of all annual deaths. Infectious diseases are caused by microbes (i.e. bacteria, fungi, viruses) predominantly targeting the respiratory system, bloodstream, gastrointestinal region and urinary tract, which can lead to severe health problems. Microbes can naturally adapt and develop antimicrobial resistance to conventional medication. Health systems are concerned by the overuse of antibiotics in the medical, agricultural, and food industry. This leads to bacterial multidrug resistance, causing more than half a million deaths annually. In consequence, research and innovation have focused on nano-scaled advanced materials to explore their potential to reinforce antimicrobial treatments. Advanced materials are complex composites that achieve superior, combined functionalities with an optimized safety, sustainability, and circularity profile. They often contain nano-scaled materials, which are highly versatile, organic, or inorganic materials that can adopt different sizes, compositions, topographies, and surface modifications. All these properties need to be carefully defined using physicochemical characterization techniques and should be considered when selecting the most efficient nanomaterials against widespread microbes. In this review, we cover (i) potential candidates of engineered nanomaterials, their physicochemical characteristics, and demonstrate their efficacy in antimicrobial action; (ii) the mechanisms of action against microbes specific to nanomaterials; (iii) well-established methods and highlight methodological advancements; (iv) the potential improvements in sustainability and circularity and (v) the current and future fields of application and ongoing development in the medical, agricultural, high-tech, textile, and food industry. For the first time, nano-scaled advanced materials produced by green synthesis methods are discussed in respect to their gain in sustainability and circularity and a comprehensive set of methodologies for safety, sustainability, and circularity assessment are described in detail.","PeriodicalId":73,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Nano","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.131,"publicationDate":"2025-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142986499","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In this work, utilizes a simple hydrothermal process for preparing ErVO4 nanoparticles. The prepared ErVO4 nanoparticles were used for the electrochemical detection of hazardous organic contaminants in 4-nitrotoluene. The physicochemical properties of ErVO4 nanoparticles were examined using various characterization techniques, including X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and cyclic voltammetry (CV), the electrochemical detection of 4-nitrotoluene was assessed. In the 0.01-375 μM detection ranges, the ErVO4 modified screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) sensor showed a linear response and a low detection limit of 9 nM. The constructed ErVO4/SPCE sensor exhibits selective detection in the presence of other chemical species, reproducibility, reusability, and real sample validation with a recovery range of (±95.00–99.00%). Compared to several previously reported sensors, the ErVO4 gave a substantially lower LOD for 4-nitrotoluene detection and was easier and faster to fabricate. The proposed ErVO4-modified electrochemical sensor for 4-nitrotoluene described is affordable and flexible, enabling point-of-care 4-nitrotoluene testing essential for successful environmental monitoring and water quality accreditation.
{"title":"Facile synthesis of erbium vanadate nanoribbons for electrochemical detection of 4-nitrotoluene","authors":"Aravind Radha, Sea-Fue Wang","doi":"10.1039/d4en01025f","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4en01025f","url":null,"abstract":"In this work, utilizes a simple hydrothermal process for preparing ErVO4 nanoparticles. The prepared ErVO4 nanoparticles were used for the electrochemical detection of hazardous organic contaminants in 4-nitrotoluene. The physicochemical properties of ErVO4 nanoparticles were examined using various characterization techniques, including X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and cyclic voltammetry (CV), the electrochemical detection of 4-nitrotoluene was assessed. In the 0.01-375 μM detection ranges, the ErVO4 modified screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) sensor showed a linear response and a low detection limit of 9 nM. The constructed ErVO4/SPCE sensor exhibits selective detection in the presence of other chemical species, reproducibility, reusability, and real sample validation with a recovery range of (±95.00–99.00%). Compared to several previously reported sensors, the ErVO4 gave a substantially lower LOD for 4-nitrotoluene detection and was easier and faster to fabricate. The proposed ErVO4-modified electrochemical sensor for 4-nitrotoluene described is affordable and flexible, enabling point-of-care 4-nitrotoluene testing essential for successful environmental monitoring and water quality accreditation.","PeriodicalId":73,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Nano","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.131,"publicationDate":"2025-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142987912","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The production of sulfur by catalytically reducing SO2 with CO presents a promising approach for utilizing sulfur oxides found in flue gases. While the novel desulfurization technique exhibits commendable attributes such as heightened efficacy and economical feasibility, its progression is hampered by challenges of catalyst poisoning-induced service life constraints. In this work, the optimization of the Gd@CeOx catalyst prepared by a hydrothermal process aimed to enhance its resistance to poisoning. The results reveal that the catalyst achieved a conversion of 71.6% and a sulfur yield of 64.6% after a 72 h reaction at 400 °C. This notable performance is ascribed to the hydrothermal synthesis of more porous structures, which improve gas adsorption and activation, as well as increase the presence of alkali on the surface of the Gd@CeOx catalyst. The reaction mechanism follows both L–H and E–R pathways. This work offers a cost-effective and efficient approach to flue gas desulfurization, with substantial implications for sulfur resource utilization.
{"title":"Catalytic reduction of SO2 by Gd@CeOx catalysts: stability enhancement and structural modulation†","authors":"Mutao Xu, Xinpei Cheng, Liguo Chen, Qijie Jin, Jian Yang, Jing Song, Changcheng Zhou, Jisai Chen, Yongzhong Wang and Haitao Xu","doi":"10.1039/D4EN01156B","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4EN01156B","url":null,"abstract":"<p >The production of sulfur by catalytically reducing SO<small><sub>2</sub></small> with CO presents a promising approach for utilizing sulfur oxides found in flue gases. While the novel desulfurization technique exhibits commendable attributes such as heightened efficacy and economical feasibility, its progression is hampered by challenges of catalyst poisoning-induced service life constraints. In this work, the optimization of the Gd@CeO<small><sub><em>x</em></sub></small> catalyst prepared by a hydrothermal process aimed to enhance its resistance to poisoning. The results reveal that the catalyst achieved a conversion of 71.6% and a sulfur yield of 64.6% after a 72 h reaction at 400 °C. This notable performance is ascribed to the hydrothermal synthesis of more porous structures, which improve gas adsorption and activation, as well as increase the presence of alkali on the surface of the Gd@CeO<small><sub><em>x</em></sub></small> catalyst. The reaction mechanism follows both L–H and E–R pathways. This work offers a cost-effective and efficient approach to flue gas desulfurization, with substantial implications for sulfur resource utilization.</p>","PeriodicalId":73,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Nano","volume":" 2","pages":" 1262-1272"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142986501","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This study proposes a new method of bubble accumulation that enables the capture of individual nanoparticles diluted in water-based solvent and the evaluation of the shape and local infrared spectra of each independent nanoparticle. We have demonstrated this system using nanoparticles of defined size generated by nano-second laser ablation. Following a process of concentration of microbubbles, we have been able to analyze the material properties of individual nanoparticles by AFM-IR. The AFM images and IR spectra results indicate the presence of independent nanoparticles, and the IR spectra showed that the particle size is considered to decrease as the oxidation reaction progresses. This system approach for the concentration and analysis of nanoparticles can particularly contribute to bio adaptation research, since the identification of the physical properties of nanoparticles can provide a better understanding of the environmental/biological effects and relationships, the mechanism of nanoparticle aggregation and the interatomic forces between particles.
{"title":"Local infrared spectral measurement system for the inspection of independent nano-plastic particles in water-based solutions†","authors":"Ikuna Kanehara, Tatsuhiro Nagasaka, Hirofumi Seki, Sho Fujii, Tsuyoshi Kimura, Masaya Yamamoto and Tadao Tanabe","doi":"10.1039/D4EN00379A","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4EN00379A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >This study proposes a new method of bubble accumulation that enables the capture of individual nanoparticles diluted in water-based solvent and the evaluation of the shape and local infrared spectra of each independent nanoparticle. We have demonstrated this system using nanoparticles of defined size generated by nano-second laser ablation. Following a process of concentration of microbubbles, we have been able to analyze the material properties of individual nanoparticles by AFM-IR. The AFM images and IR spectra results indicate the presence of independent nanoparticles, and the IR spectra showed that the particle size is considered to decrease as the oxidation reaction progresses. This system approach for the concentration and analysis of nanoparticles can particularly contribute to bio adaptation research, since the identification of the physical properties of nanoparticles can provide a better understanding of the environmental/biological effects and relationships, the mechanism of nanoparticle aggregation and the interatomic forces between particles.</p>","PeriodicalId":73,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Nano","volume":" 2","pages":" 1107-1115"},"PeriodicalIF":5.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2025/en/d4en00379a?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142981520","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Falsini Sara, Tommaso Nieri, Alessio Papini, Maria Cristina Salvatici, Ali Abou-Hassan, Cristina Gonnelli, Sandra Ristori
In this paper, we report on the design, production and in depth characterization of nanoformulations based on Kraft lignin for delivering neem oil and capsaicin as insect repellents. The procedure followed was aimed at establishing a protocol for scalable preparations, which can also ensure that the obtained dispersions are stable in water media, from where they can be administered by safe and easy routes (e.g. foliar spay). Lignin was initially dispersed in alkaline solution to obtain a concentration of 5% w/w. After oil addition in comparable proportion (4.5 % v/v), the resulting dispersed aggregates were downsized by sonication. To increase the insect repellency effect, capsaicin was added to half of the samples by dissolution in the oil phase. Extensive structural characterization by DLS, electron microscopy and SAXS showed that all formulations contained well-defined particles with moderate polydispersity and globular shape, which tended to be more elongated in the case of lower starting pH and consequent lower surface charge of the particles. In all the samples negative Zeta Potential values were measured, thus ensuring good stability by electrostatic repulsion. These findings represent a favourable premise for applications, since one possible drawback in the production of dispersed systems from natural sources is the ill-defined nature of the ensuing formulation, often showing thread-like interconnected structures coexisting with a small fraction of discrete objects, which can impart poor stability. The potentiality of the present formulations as insect repellents was tested on Eruca sativa plantlets against larvae of Plutella xylostella with encouraging results.
{"title":"Efficiency of Lignin nanocapsules for delivering neem oil and capsaicin against pest insects: insights from the system Eruca sativa – Plutella xylostella.","authors":"Falsini Sara, Tommaso Nieri, Alessio Papini, Maria Cristina Salvatici, Ali Abou-Hassan, Cristina Gonnelli, Sandra Ristori","doi":"10.1039/d4en00915k","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4en00915k","url":null,"abstract":"In this paper, we report on the design, production and in depth characterization of nanoformulations based on Kraft lignin for delivering neem oil and capsaicin as insect repellents. The procedure followed was aimed at establishing a protocol for scalable preparations, which can also ensure that the obtained dispersions are stable in water media, from where they can be administered by safe and easy routes (e.g. foliar spay). Lignin was initially dispersed in alkaline solution to obtain a concentration of 5% w/w. After oil addition in comparable proportion (4.5 % v/v), the resulting dispersed aggregates were downsized by sonication. To increase the insect repellency effect, capsaicin was added to half of the samples by dissolution in the oil phase. Extensive structural characterization by DLS, electron microscopy and SAXS showed that all formulations contained well-defined particles with moderate polydispersity and globular shape, which tended to be more elongated in the case of lower starting pH and consequent lower surface charge of the particles. In all the samples negative Zeta Potential values were measured, thus ensuring good stability by electrostatic repulsion. These findings represent a favourable premise for applications, since one possible drawback in the production of dispersed systems from natural sources is the ill-defined nature of the ensuing formulation, often showing thread-like interconnected structures coexisting with a small fraction of discrete objects, which can impart poor stability. The potentiality of the present formulations as insect repellents was tested on Eruca sativa plantlets against larvae of Plutella xylostella with encouraging results.","PeriodicalId":73,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Nano","volume":"20 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.131,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142981519","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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