“Silver Nanoparticle Structure-Property Relationships for Environmental Health and Safety Studies”
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Silver nanoparticles (nano-Ag) are the engineered nanomaterial used in the greatest number of consumer products today. However, selecting appropriate materials for toxicity and environmental studies presents the need for a decision - to perform hypothesis testing to gain a fundamental understanding of nanomaterial behavior based on specific material properties, or to test only the materials predicted to be most environmentally relevant. Some major questions for nano-Ag environmental health and safety research include: 1) whether this is a new introduction of an old legacy contaminant, 2) does nano-Ag behave differently from bulk material in environmental systems, 3) can nano-Ag aggregation and dissolution kinetics be characterized at toxicologically relevant levels (low ppb) and 4) how coatings and ligands may alter the environmental implications of nano-Ag. A common research theme to these questions is the requirement of rigorous characterization of the stability of silver nanoparticles in pertinent conditions, in order to more accurately predict how nanomaterials interact physiologically and chemically in applicable model systems. Data will be presented to evaluate nano-Ag stability based on previously published nanomaterial dispersion protocols, with the aim of providing fundamental knowledge for further refinement of dispersion protocols that either mimic true exposure conditions or best stabilize the nanoparticles in relevant conditions. Additionally, preliminary nano-Ag fate in environmentally relevant waters will be presented. Data indicated nano-Ag suspensions were temporally dynamic and influenced by medium characteristics and coatings. In summary, this presentation will provide one possible approach to the overall goal of developing necessary methods for preventing and measuring the toxicity of nanomaterials through understanding the structure-property relationships between silver nanoparticles, their coatings, and their surrounding media.
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