The effect of electrolytes on the aggregation kinetics of titanium dioxide nanoparticle aggregates

Metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) are receiving increasing attention due to their increased industrial production and potential hazardous effect. The process of aggregation plays a key role in the fate of NPs in the environment and the resultant health risk. The aggregation of commercial titanium diox...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of nanoparticle research : an interdisciplinary forum for nanoscale science and technology 2012-08, Vol.14 (8), p.1-11, Article 924
Main Authors: Shih, Yang-hsin, Zhuang, Cheng-ming, Tso, Chih-ping, Lin, Cheng-han
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agglomeration
Aquatic environment
Cations
Characterization and Evaluation of Materials
Chemistry and Materials Science
Concentration (composition)
Electrolytes
Hazardous
Health risks
Industrial production
Inorganic Chemistry
Kinetics
Lasers
Materials Science
Nanocomposites
Nanomaterials
Nanoparticles
Nanostructure
Nanotechnology
Optical Devices
Optics
Photonics
Physical Chemistry
Research Paper
Titanium dioxide
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Summary:Metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) are receiving increasing attention due to their increased industrial production and potential hazardous effect. The process of aggregation plays a key role in the fate of NPs in the environment and the resultant health risk. The aggregation of commercial titanium dioxide NP powder (25 nm) was investigated with various environmentally relevant solution chemistries containing different concentrations of monovalent (Na + , K + ) and divalent (Ca 2+ ) electrolytes. Titanium dioxide particle size increased with the increase in ion concentration. The stability of titanium dioxide also depended on the ionic composition. Titanium dioxide aggregated to a higher degree in the presence of divalent cations than monovalent ones. The attachment efficiency of NPs was constructed through aggregation kinetics data, from which the critical coagulation concentrations for the various electrolytes are determined (80, 19, and 1 meq/L for Na + , K + , and Ca 2+ , respectively). Our results suggest that titanium dioxide NP powders are relatively unstable in water and could easily be removed by adding multivalent cations so hazardous potentials decrease in aquatic environment.
ISSN:1388-0764
1572-896X
DOI:10.1007/s11051-012-0924-3