Adsorption of Colloidal Nanoparticles to Supports: Employing Electrostatic Charge Screening and Barrierless Self-Assembly as Nanointegration Strategy.

Surfactant-free nanoparticles can be adsorbed on a support material by electrostatic deposition which requires electrostatic attraction between the nanoparticles and the support material. However, when nanoparticles and support have a similar isoelectric point (IEP), it is difficult to create such electrostatically attractive conditions and trigger the adsorption process by pH adjustment. In this work, we present an alternative approach to support laser-generated metal nanoparticles by controlled precipitation onto thin graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets via a kinetically barrierless process induced by high ionic strength.

Laser synthesis of nanoparticles in organic solvents - products, reactions, and perspectives.

Laser synthesis and processing of colloids (LSPC) is an established method for producing functional and durable nanomaterials and catalysts in virtually any liquid of choice. While the redox reactions during laser synthesis in water are fairly well understood, the corresponding reactions in organic liquids remain elusive, particularly because of the much greater complexity of carbon chemistry. To this end, this article first reviews the knowledge base of chemical reactions during LSPC and then deduces identifiable reaction pathways and mechanisms.

Physical Regimes and Mechanisms of Picosecond Laser Fragmentation of Gold Nanoparticles in Water from X-ray Probing and Atomistic Simulations.

Laser fragmentation in liquids has emerged as a promising green chemistry technique for changing the size, shape, structure, and phase composition of colloidal nanoparticles, thus tuning their properties to the needs of practical applications. The advancement of this technique requires a solid understanding of the mechanisms of laser-nanoparticle interactions that lead to the fragmentation. While theoretical studies have made impressive practical and mechanistic predictions, their experimental validation is required.

A web-based pesticide risk assessment tool for drinking water protection zones in Sweden.

To protect human health, wildlife and the aquatic environment, "safe uses" of pesticides are determined at the EU level while product authorization and terms of use are established at the national level. In Sweden, extra precaution is taken to protect drinking water, and permits are therefore required for pesticide use within abstraction zones. This paper presents MACRO-DB, a tool for assessing pesticide contamination risks of groundwater and surface water, used by authorities to support their decision-making for issuing such permits.