Les effets de revêtements de surface sur la dissolution et la bioaccumulation de nanoparticules d'oxyde de zinc par l'algue unicellulaire, C. reinhardtii

Au cours de la dernière décennie, les nanoparticules ont connu un essor sans précédent dans plusieurs domaines. On peut retrouver ces nanoparticules dans des secteurs aussi variés tels que la médecine, l’électronique, les écrans solaires, les cosmétiques et les plastiques, pour ne nommer que ceux-là. Cette utilisation massive a eu un effet pervers sur l’environnement, sachant qu’une grande partie de ces produits se sont retrouvés inévitablement dans les milieux naturels. Plusieurs études révèlent qu’autant la présence des nanoparticules que leurs produits de dissolution sont à prendre en considération lorsque des travaux toxicologiques ou le devenir de ces matériaux sont étudiés. Il est désormais clair que les propriétés de surface de ces nanoparticules jouent un rôle central sur leur comportement dans les solutions aqueuses; que ce soit les interactions avec des organismes ou entre les particules elles-mêmes. Afin d’évaluer le devenir de nZnO, une étude sur la dissolution ainsi que la bioaccumulation a été réalisée avec l’algue modèle Chlamydomonas reinhardtii en présence de nanoparticules ayant différents enrobages. Les nanoparticules d’oxyde de zinc suivantes ont été étudiées : (i) nZnO sans enrobage (nZnO); (ii) nZnO avec enrobage d’acide polyacrylique (nZnO-PAA) et (iii) nZnO avec enrobage d’hexamétaphosphate de sodium (nZnO-HMP). La dissolution était mesurée à l’aide de trois techniques : ultrafiltration par centrifugation (CU); technique potentiométrique (scanned stripping chronopotentiometry, SSCP) et spectrométrie de masse – plasma à couplage inductif couplé à une résine échangeuse d’ions (resin-based inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, resin-based ICP-MS). Les résultats obtenus démontrent une grande tendance à la dissolution pour le nZnO (presque totale) tandis que pour le nZnO-PAA et le nZnO-HMP, la dissolution est dépendante de la nature de l’enrobage le composant. Pour la bioaccumulation sur l’algue testée, les données montrent une grande dépendance au zinc libre issu de la dissolution pour nZnO et nZnO-PAA. À l’inverse, le nZnO-HMP démontre une bioaccumulation plus élevée par comparaison aux mêmes concentrations d’expositions du zinc libre, expliquée par la stimulation de l’internalisation du zinc provoqué par la présence de phosphate constituant l’enrobage de nZnO-HMP.Over the last decade, the use of nanoparticles (NP) has been increasing exponentially in numerous sectors, leading to their massive release into the environment. For example, zinc oxide nanoparticles (nZnO) can be found in areas such as medicine, electronics, sunscreens, cosmetics and plastics. Concerns have therefore been raised about the impacts of the NP on the natural environment, as well as their consequences for humans. Multiple studies reveal that not only the NP but also their dissolution products may have impacts on environmental systems. It is well understood that surface properties of engineered nanoparticles in aqueous solution play a pivotal role in nanoparticle behavior, including their interactions with organisms. Therefore, in order to assess the behavior of nZnO, this study focuses on their dissolution and evaluates the bioaccumulation of 3 nanoparticles with different surface stabilizations by the freshwater algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The following NP were studied: (i) bare nZnO, (ii) polyacrylic acid coated (nZnO-PAA) and (iii) sodium hexametaphosphate coated (nZnO-HMP). Three different techniques were used to quantify dissolution of the nZnO: centrifugal ultrafiltration (CU), scanned stripping chronopotentiometry (SSCP) and resin-based inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (resin-based ICP-MS). The results reveal a high dissolution of the bare nZnO (nearly total) while the dissolution of the polyacrylate coated and hexamataphosphate coated nZnO were highly dependent on the nature of the stabilizer. As a consequence, bioaccumulation in model algae C. reinhardtii was strongly related to the release of free zinc in the bare nZnO and the nZnO-PAA. On the other hand, algae exposed to nZnO-HMP appeared to be stimulated by the phosphate coating, leading to higher bioaccumulation than for the free zinc, once again demonstrating the importance of the nature of the stabilizer

Detection and characterization of ZnO nanoparticles in surface and waste waters using single particle ICPMS

The increasing production of ZnO nanoparticles (nZnO) makes their analysis and characterization extremely important from an ecological risk perspective, especially at the low concentrations at which they are expected to be found in natural waters. Single particle ICPMS (SP-ICPMS) is one of the few techniques available to detect and characterize nanoparticles at environmentally relevant concentrations. Unfortunately, at the very low particle concentrations where SP-ICPMS is performed, significant dissolution of the nZnO generally increases background levels of dissolved Zn to the point where measurements are not generally possible. By hyphenating SP-ICPMS with an ion-exchange resin, it was possible to characterize and quantify nZnO in order to gain insight into the nature of the nZnO in natural waters. Spiked and unspiked water samples were analyzed using a SP-ICPMS that was coupled to a column containing a strong metal binding resin (Chelex 100). In addition to the detection of ZnO nanoparticles and the determination of a size distribution in natural waters, it was possible to partition the dissolved Zn among free and/or labile and strongly bound Zn fractions. In two natural waters, a high proportion (ca. 93–100%) of dissolved Zn was measured, and the residual ZnO particles were mainly composed of small agglomerates (average sizes ranging from 133.6 to 172.4 nm in the surface water and from 167.6 to 216.4 nm in the wastewater effluent). Small numbers of small nanoparticles were also detected in nonspiked waters

The influence of the inverter switching frequency on rotor losses in high-speed permanent magnet machines : an experimental study

Harmonic content of the output voltage of pulse width modulated voltage source inverters (PWM VSI) is determined by the switching frequency. On the other hand, rotor losses in high-speed permanent magnet (PM) machines are caused, among other factors, by harmonics in stator currents. These harmonics are determined by the harmonics in the inverter output voltage, and therefore dependent on the switching frequency. In high-speed PM machines, due to the high fundamental frequency, harmonics in the stator currents caused by PWM are located at very high frequencies. Measurement of rotor losses caused by these harmonics in a structure with a conductive retaining sleeve on the rotor which is prone to eddy currents might be very challenging. This paper investigates issues related to this measurement and presents a measurement method which results are compared with results from a 2D analytical model that takes into account eddy currents in the rotor.</p

Performance Analysis of High-Speed Electric Machines Supplied by PWM Inverters Based on the Harmonic Modeling Method

This paper presents a method for the performance analysis of high-speed electric machines supplied with pulse-width modulated voltage source inverters by utilizing a fast analytical model. By applying a strict mathematical procedure, effective expressions for the calculation of rotor eddy current losses and electromagnetic torque are derived. Results obtained by the approach suggested in this study are verified by the finite element model, and it is shown that the proposed method is superior in comparison to the finite element method in terms of computation time. The proposed method enables fast parameter variation analysis, which is demonstrated by changing the inverter switching frequency and electric conductivity of the rotor and analyzing the effects of these changes on rotor eddy current losses. The presented work separately models effects of the permanent magnet and pulse-width modulated stator currents, making it suitable for the analysis of both high-speed permanent magnet machines and high-speed induction machines

Computationally Efficient Semi-Analytical Model for the Calculation of the No-Load Magnetic Field in High-Speed Permanent Magnet Machines

High-speed slotted permanent magnet (PM) machines are characterized by high power density and high efficiency, which makes them widely used in different applications. Consequently, fast and accurate models which predict their behaviour are highly required. Eddy current effects, which, due to the existence of slots, are present even at no-load conditions, impose long solving time for finite element models (FEM). As an alternative, this paper presents a harmonic model (HM) for the calculation of no-load magnetic field in high-speed slotted permanent magnet machines. Beside having inherently shorter solving time than FEM, HM proposed in this paper brings additional reduction in the model size and solving time. This is achieved by identifying harmonic components which actually contribute to the electromagnetic field. Components which make no contribution, but are present in the generic field solution, are eliminated from the model

Trade-offs in design of high-speed permanent magnet generators for gas-turbine-based micro-CHP systems

Micro CHP (combined heat and power) systems based on gas turbines represent a typical application which widely exploits high-speed permanent magnet machines. As an energy application which implies electromechanical conversion at high speeds, it sets high requirements with respect to power density and efficiency. In order to fulfill these requirements, high energy magnet materials have to be used. Significant drawbacks of high energy magnets are their thermal and structural vulnerabilities. This paper describes initial choices and trade-offs with the machine design in order to satisfy requirements for high power density and efficiency; at the same time such a design must ensure proper operating conditions for magnet materials from thermal and structural point of view

Trade-offs in design of high-speed permanent magnet generators for gas-turbine-based micro-CHP systems

Micro CHP (combined heat and power) systems based on gas turbines represent a typical application which widely exploits high-speed permanent magnet machines. As an energy application which implies electromechanical conversion at high speeds, it sets high requirements with respect to power density and efficiency. In order to fulfill these requirements, high energy magnet materials have to be used. Significant drawbacks of high energy magnets are their thermal and structural vulnerabilities. This paper describes initial choices and trade-offs with the machine design in order to satisfy requirements for high power density and efficiency; at the same time such a design must ensure proper operating conditions for magnet materials from thermal and structural point of view