Evaluation of the microbial growth response to inorganic nanoparticles

In order to enhance the utilization of inorganic nanoparticles in biological systems, it is important to develop a fundamental understanding of the influence they have on cellular health and function. Experiments were conducted to test silica, silica/iron oxide, and gold nanoparticles for their effects on the growth and activity of Escherichia coli (E. coli). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) were used to characterize the morphology and quantify size distribution of the nanoparticles, respectively. TEM was also used to verify the interactions between composite iron oxide nanoparticles and E. coli. The results from DLS indicated that the inorganic nanoparticles formed small aggregates in the growth media. Growth studies measured the influence of the nanoparticles on cell proliferation at various concentrations, showing that the growth of E. coli in media containing the nanoparticles indicated no overt signs of toxicity

Regional air quality impacts of hydraulic fracturing and shale natural gas activity: Evidence from ambient VOC observations.

h i g h l i g h t s Ambient VOC measurements from EPA PAMS sites were analyzed. Ethane concentrations have increased recently in the Baltimore/Washington area. Shale natural gas operation emissions appear to be transported downwind. a r t i c l e i n f o t r a c t Over the past decade, concentrations of many anthropogenic pollutants have been successfully reduced, improving air quality. However, a new influx of emissions associated with hydraulic fracturing and shale natural gas operations could be counteracting some of these benefits. Using hourly measurements from Photochemical Assessment Monitoring Stations (PAMS) in the Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC areas, we observed that following a period of decline, daytime ethane concentrations have increased significantly since 2010, growing from~7% of total measured nonmethane organic carbon to~15% in 2013. This trend appears to be linked with the rapidly increasing natural gas production in upwind, neighboring states, especially Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Ethane concentrations failed to display this trend at a PAMS site outside of Atlanta, GA, a region without new widespread natural gas operations

Dopant Effects on Copper Oxide Photoelectrochemical Cell Water Splitting

AbstractThe electrical conductivity of a film has a dramatic influence on the lifetime of photo-excited electrons. As a result, the electrical conductivity of an electrode plays an important role in the performance of a photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell. In this study, we demonstrated that the conductivity of a semiconductor CuO film can be varied by introducing different dopants, such as Li, Mg, and seven other 3d or 4d orbital transition metals. Compared to the intrinsic CuO film, the conductivity was increased/decreased by up to two orders of magnitude with addition dopants and this led to a wide range of resulting photocurrent densities an essential index in the study of materials for PEC splitting of water for renewable hydrogen generation

Hybrid mesoporous silicates: a distinct aspect to synthesis and application for decontamination of phenols

Water pollution due to organic compounds is of great concern and efforts are being made to develop efficient adsorbents for remediation of toxic pollutants. The development of new functionalized materials with increased performance is growing to meet the regulatory standards in response to public concerns for environment. In this study, an attempt has been made to investigate the influence of synthesis parameters like the reaction temperature, the surfactant-to-silica ratio and reaction time on the structural and textural properties of novel ordered mesoporous silica hybrids. In order to understand the effect of different synthesis parameters, all the prepared materials were systematically characterized by various analytical, spectroscopic and imaging techniques such as XRD, BET, TG etc. It was deduced from these studies that the synthesis temperature influence greatly the structural order whereas both the P104/Na2SiO3 molar ratio and reaction time found to influence textural properties significantly. However, under optimized experimental condition, we could achieve the functionalized silica hybrids that offers successful incorporation of -Amino, -Glucidoxy, -Methacrylate, -Vinyl and -Phenyl moieties indicated by FTIR peaks at 793 cm−1, 2870 cm−1, 796 cm−1, 1630 cm−1 and 954 cm−1. XRD studies reveal orthorhombic and tetragonal symmetry for the hybrids and these materials were found to be thermally stable due to incorporation of organic moiety in silica matrix. Functionalized silica hybrids then applied as adsorbents demonstrated efficient and comparable removal of 4-aminophenol and p-nitrophenol in 20 min facilitated through organic moiety. Detailed modeling of the sorption using equilibrium and kinetic isotherms has been carried out to get an insight into the transport process. The adsorption isotherms of phenol derivatives are well-fitted with the Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin Isotherms and the adsorption kinetics follows the pseudo second order model. The modeling confirms that the uptake is a chemisorption process

Morphology and bilayer integrity of small liposomes during aerosol generation by air-jet nebulisation

Small liposome suspensions (hydrodynamic diameter, 80–130 nm) were nebulised and the resulting changes in morphology and bilayer integrity were found to be related to surface properties controlled by bilayer composition. Four separate liposome compositions (or liposome types) were investigated using three different phospholipids with unique properties. Morphological changes were studied using light scattering and imaging of liposomes before and after nebulisation and structural integrity was investigated on the basis of the retention of an encapsulated dye (probe molecule). Nebulisation generated droplets contained liposomes. The liposome particles generated on droplet evaporation had a hollow structure as evidenced by electron imaging, indicating that the lipid bilayer does not collapse on evaporation. The particles of all compositions had mobility diameters between 50 and 90 nm, 1.4–1.6 times smaller than their diameters (hydrodynamic) measured before nebulisation, implying considerable volume shrinkage. Liposomes that had polymer-conjugated lipids covering their external surface underwent aggregation during nebulisation, evidenced by increased diameter after nebulisation. Incorporation of charged lipids reduced nebulisation-induced aggregation, but induced greater membrane rupture during aerosol generation, causing leakage of encapsulated probe molecules. Incorporation of both cholesterol and charged lipids prevented aggregation, but also preserved bilayer integrity, evidenced by the maximum retention of encapsulated dye observed in these conditions (>85%). The findings suggest that liposome bilayer composition can be manipulated to improve the efficiency of liposome aerosol delivery

The Sensitivity of Modeled Ozone to the Temporal Distribution of Point, Area, and Mobile Emissions in the Eastern US

Ozone remains one of the most recalcitrant air pollution problems in the US. Hourly emissions fields used in air quality models (AQMs) generally show less temporal variability than corresponding measurements. In order to understand how the daily cycle of estimated emissions affects modeled ozone, we analyzed the effects of altering all anthropogenic emissions’ temporal distributions by source group 2 on 2002 summer-long simulations of ozone using the Community Multi-Scale Air Quality Model (CMAQ) v4.5 and the carbon bond IV (CBIV) chemical mechanism with a 12 km grid. We find that when mobile source emissions were made constant over the course of a day, 8-hour maximum ozone predictions changed by ±7 parts per billion by volume (ppbv) in urban areas on days when ozone concentrations greater than 80 ppbv were simulated in the base case. Increasing the temporal variation of point sources resulted in ozone changes of +6 and –6 ppbv, but only for small areas near sources. Changing the daily cycle of mobile source emissions produces substantial changes in simulated ozone, especially in urban areas at night; implications for abatement strategy are discussed

Cu-Sn binary metal particle generation by spray pyrolysis

<p>Cu-Sn binary particles were generated via spray pyrolysis from metal salt precursors with ethylene glycol as the co-solvent and reducing agent. The morphology, crystallinity, and elemental distribution of particles were tunable by changing the reaction temperature, residence time, and quench gas flow rate. Hollow porous particles were fabricated with a higher Sn concentration on the particle surface when the furnace set point was 500°C, while solid particles with a lower surface Sn concentration were generated when the furnace set point was 1000°C. Particles with spherical morphologies were obtained at long residence time conditions (4.5 s). Cu-Sn binary particles with irregular structures (e.g., pores on the particle surface, fragmented spherical particles, and lamellar fragments) were formed at short residence time conditions (0.92 s). A possible spray pyrolysis mechanism was proposed that incorporates chemical reaction steps and structural progression. By this mechanism, the metal salts are believed to sequentially undergo hydrolysis to metal hydroxides, decomposition to metal oxides, reduction to metals, and finally diffusion of Sn into the Cu matrix to generate the Cu-Sn solid solution.</p> <p>Copyright © 2017 American Association for Aerosol Research</p

Characterization of fluorescent iron nanoparticles—candidates for multimodal tracking of neuronal transport

Magnetic nanoparticles were coated with either dextran or polyacrylic acid (PAA), and compared as potential traceable carriers for targeted intraneuronal therapeutics. Nanoparticles were fabricated using a chemical reduction method and their number mean diameter, aggregation, surface chemistry, crystal structure and magnetic properties were characterized. The crystalline core of the dextran-coated nanoparticles was Fe3O4, while the PAA-coated sample had an iron core. The dextran-coated iron oxide nanoparticles (DIONs) and PAA-coated iron nanoparticles (PAINs) were both stable and had a similar mean diameter of less than 10 nm. However, morphologically, the PAINs were well dispersed, while the DIONs aggregated. DIONs exhibited the presence of hysteresis and ferromagnetic properties due to aggregation, while PAINs displayed superparamagnetic behavior. Surface chemistry analysis after 2 weeks of being exposed to air indicated that DIONs oxidized to Fe2O3, while PAINs were composed of a metallic Fe core and a mixed oxidation state shell. Based on these analyses, we concluded that PAINs are stronger candidates for examining axonal transport, since they were less prone to aggregation, offered a stronger magnetic signal, and were less oxidized. Neurotoxicity analysis of PAINs revealed that no significant toxicity was observed compared to negative controls for concentrations up to 1 mg/ml, thus further indicating their potential utility for biological applications. Finally, we successfully conjugated PAINs to a fluorophore, rhodamine 110 chloride, through a simple two-step reaction, demonstrating the feasibility of functionalizing PAINs. This study suggests that PAINs should be further evaluated as a candidate technology for intraneuronal diagnostics and therapy