Sulfides mediate the migration of nanoparticle mass out of nanocomposite plastics and into aqueous environments.

We show that inorganic sulfides strongly influence transfer (migration) of nanoparticle mass out of polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) and into aqueous environments. We first manufactured two families of PNCs: one incorporating silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and one incorporating CdSe quantum dots (QDs). Then, we assessed migration out of these PNCs and into aqueous media containing NaS at concentrations ranging from 0 to 10 M.

Environmental release of core-shell semiconductor nanocrystals from free-standing polymer nanocomposite films.

Concomitant with the development of polymer nanocomposite (PNC) technologies across numerous industries is an expanding awareness of the uncertainty with which engineered nanoparticles embedded within these materials may be released into the external environment, particularly liquid media. Recently there has been an interest in evaluating potential exposure to nanoscale fillers from PNCs, but existing studies often rely upon uncharacterized, poor quality, or proprietary materials, creating a barrier to making general mechanistic conclusions about release phenomena. In this study we employed semiconductor nanoparticles (quantum dots, QDs) as model nanofillers to quantify potential release into liquid media under specific environmental conditions.

Cation-pi interactions as a mechanism in technical lignin adsorption to cationic surfaces.

The assembly of dissolved technical lignins in aqueous and organic medium has been studied at the solid-liquid interface. Adsorption of alkali lignin onto gold coated crystals treated with a cationic polymer was determined using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring. Complete coverage of the cationic surface with alkali lignin occurred at low solution concentration, revealing a high affinity coefficient under both alkali and neutral conditions.