CAREER: Environmental Impacts of Nanomaterials in Engineered Water Systems: Biological and Physical Effects on Microorganisms

Kirisits纳米材料正在全球范围内生产--到2014年，包含纳米技术的产品的全球市场估计将达到2.4万亿美元。纳米材料具有广泛的有益用途，包括治疗药物的受控输送，太阳能到电能的高效转换，以及有效地去除水中的微污染物。尽管纳米材料有许多有益的应用，但它们可能会对自然和工程系统产生意想不到的不利影响。这项建议的主要目标是全面了解各种纳米材料对细菌的影响，特别是那些在与饮用水、废水和水再利用有关的工程系统中发现的细菌。拟议的研究任务将检验以下四个假设：(1)细菌对纳米材料损伤的耐受性和抵抗力提高，(2)纳米材料损伤改变微生物群落结构，(3)生物膜细菌对纳米材料损伤的反应不同于浮游细菌，(4)生物膜机械性能受到纳米材料的影响。在这项研究中，将考察六种常见的纳米材料碳富勒烯、碳纳米管、纳米氧化铈、纳米银、纳米二氧化钛和纳米零价铁对纯细菌培养和代表饮用水、废水和水回用应用的混合微生物群落的影响。教育计划包括跟踪一个以少数族裔为主的高中班4年，创建一个增加工程和理科研究生之间互动的计划，并组织一个关于环境中纳米材料的学生研讨会。

0846719KirisitsNanomaterials are being produced globally - the worldwide market for products incorporating nanotechnology is estimated to be $2.4 trillion dollars by 2014. Nanomaterials have a tremendous range of beneficial uses including controlled delivery of therapeutic agents, efficient conversion of solar energy to electrical energy, and effective removal of micropollutants from water. In spite of their many beneficial applications, nanomaterials may have unintended adverse effects on natural and engineered systems. The principal objective of this proposal is to develop a comprehensive understanding of the effect of a variety of nanomaterials on bacteria, particularly those found in engineered systems pertaining to drinking water, wastewater, and water reuse. The proposed research tasks will be conducted to test the following four hypotheses: (1) bacteria develop increased tolerance and resistance to nanomaterial insults, (2) nanomaterial insults change microbial community structure, (3) biofilm bacteria respond differently than planktonic bacteria to a nanomaterial insult and (4) biofilm mechanical properties are affected by nanomaterials. In this research, six common nanomaterials carbon fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, nanoscale cerium oxide, nanosilver, nanoscale titanium dioxide, and nanoscale zero valent iron will be examined for their effects on pure bacterial cultures and on mixed microbial communities representative of drinking water, wastewater, and water reuse applications.The educational plan includes shadowing a high school class of predominantly minority students through 4 years, creating a program to increase interactions between graduate engineering and science students, and organizing a student symposium on nanomaterials in the environment.