Interactions and stability of silver nanoparticles in the aqueous phase: Influence of natural organic matter (NOM) and ionic strength.

The rapid development of nanotechnology and the related production and application of nanosized materials such as engineered nanoparticles (ENP) inevitably lead to the emission of these products into environmental systems. So far, little is known about the occurrence and the behaviour of ENP in environmental aquatic systems. In this contribution, the influence of natural organic matter (NOM) and ionic strength on the stability and the interactions of silver nanoparticles (n-Ag) in aqueous suspensions was investigated using UV-vis spectroscopy and asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AF⁴) coupled with UV-vis detection and mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).