Design of Safer Carbon-Based Nanomaterials: The Impact of Surface Modifications on Toxicity and Environmental Fate and Transport

更安全的碳基纳米材料的设计：表面改性对毒性、环境归宿和运输的影响

• 批准号: 0854373
• 负责人: Julie Zimmerman
• 金额: $ 33万
• 依托单位: Yale University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-07-15 至 2013-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0854373&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Design; Safer; Carbon; Based; Nanomaterials

Proposal Title: Design of Safer Carbon-Based Nanomaterials: The Impact of Surface Modifications on Toxicity and Environmental Fate and TransportPrincipal Investigator: Julie Zimmerman Institution: Yale UniversityProposal No: CBET- 0854373This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).The objective of this study is to develop the fundamental understanding necessary to design carbon nanotubes with reduced risk to human health and the environment. Knowledge to support this goal will be gathered through biotoxicity testing of well-characterized pristine and functionalized carbon nanotubes, both single-walled carbon nanotubes, SWCNTs, and multi-walled carbon nanotubes, MWCNTs. The modified CNTs will then be evaluated for stability under representative environmental conditions, and those CNTs that undergo a transformation in environmental conditions will be reevaluated for toxic characteristics. Completion of the proposed work will involve the following tasks: (i) synthesis of CNTs, (ii) surface functionalization of CNTs, (iii) characterization of CNTs, (iv) evaluation of CNT biotoxicity, (v) characterization of environmental transformations of CNTs in aquatic systems, (vi) aggregation of CNTs, (vii) analysis of the impacts of changes resulting from environmental conditions on toxicity, and (viii) consideration of policy implications. They will synthesize well-defined SWCNTs and MWCNTs. In addition to the testing of pristine CNTs, they will test a range of functionalizations that result in CNTs with enhanced solubility and a range of polarities. These include amino, hydroxyl, carboxy, sulfonate, alkyl, and pyrrolidinyl functionalized CNTs, as well as fluorinated SWCNTs, the most densely functionalized CNTs known to date. Careful characterization of the synthesized and functionalized CNTs is critical for the formation of meaningful conclusions from the biotoxicity studies. They will use advanced characterization tools to obtain information about the CNT purity and physical and chemical properties, including Raman, FTIR, and Near IR fluorescence spectroscopy; TEM, TGA, and zeta potential measurement. They will then test the biotoxicity of the pristine and functionalized CNTs to gain insights into the role of CNT chemical and physical properties on their toxicity. Once released into the aquatic environment, functionalized CNTs will undergo chemical and physical transformations. They will investigate the stability of the chemical functionalizations under environmental conditions and the impact of these transformations on CNT biotoxicity. Finally, the implications of the results for policies regarding the design of safer CNTs will be discussed. The results from this study will provide information on (i) surface modifications to CNTs that result in reduced or no toxicity, and (ii) the stability of these modifications in environmental conditions for long-term protection of human health and the environment. Ultimately, the information will be used to design the next generation of CNTs. Current research demonstrates the potential for an increase in the recruitment and retention of women and underrepresented groups in science and engineering courses and majors when the type of issues this project is focused on are introduced into the curriculum. It is anticipated that similar trends will be observed at Yale University, which already graduates the highest percentage of female undergraduate engineering students in the country. While this project will serve as a source of research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students as well as be integrated into existing courses at Yale, they also have a unique and innovative contribution to broaden the impacts of this project. Together with staff and associated students at Yale?s Peabody Museum of Natural History, the project team will be working to develop an age appropriate module for their School Programs for grades 7-12 on sustainability to include components on green product design and environmentally benign manufacturing. Through this experience, these students would gain a better understanding of the challenges associated with designing and developing products and processes that meet environmental, economic, and social goals as well as the role of consumers in the system.

提案标题：设计更安全的碳基纳米材料：表面修饰对毒性和环境命运和运输的影响首席研究员：Julie Zimmerman研究所：耶鲁大学提案编号：CBET-0854373该奖项由2009年美国复苏和再投资法案(公共法律111-5)资助。这项研究的目的是加深对设计降低对人类健康和环境风险的碳纳米管所需的基本理解。支持这一目标的知识将通过对特性良好的原始和功能化的碳纳米管进行生物毒性测试来收集，包括单壁碳纳米管(SWCNTs)和多壁碳纳米管(MWCNTs)。然后，将评估修饰后的碳纳米管在典型环境条件下的稳定性，以及那些经历环境条件变化的碳纳米管将重新评估其毒性特性。拟议工作的完成将涉及以下任务：(1)碳纳米管的合成，(2)碳纳米管的表面功能化，(3)碳纳米管的表征，(4)碳纳米管的生物毒性评价，(5)碳纳米管在水生系统中的环境转化的表征，(6)碳纳米管的聚集，(7)分析环境条件引起的变化对毒性的影响，以及(8)审议政策影响。他们将合成定义明确的单壁碳纳米管和多壁碳纳米管。除了测试原始的碳纳米管外，他们还将测试一系列官能化，从而使碳纳米管具有更好的溶解性和一系列的极性。这些碳纳米管包括氨基、羟基、羧基、磺酸盐、烷基和吡咯烷基功能化的碳纳米管，以及氟化的单壁碳纳米管，这是迄今已知的最密集的官能化碳纳米管。对合成的和功能化的碳纳米管的仔细表征对于从生物毒性研究中形成有意义的结论是至关重要的。他们将使用先进的表征工具来获得有关碳纳米管纯度和物理化学性质的信息，包括拉曼光谱、傅里叶变换红外光谱和近红外荧光光谱；透射电子显微镜、热重分析和Zeta电位测量。然后，他们将测试原始的和功能化的碳纳米管的生物毒性，以深入了解碳纳米管的化学和物理特性对其毒性的作用。一旦释放到水环境中，功能化的碳纳米管将经历化学和物理变化。他们将研究化学官能化在环境条件下的稳定性，以及这些转化对碳纳米管生物毒性的影响。最后，将讨论这些结果对设计更安全的碳纳米管的政策的影响。这项研究的结果将提供有关以下方面的信息：(I)对碳纳米管进行表面修饰以减少或没有毒性，以及(Ii)这些修饰在环境条件下的稳定性，以长期保护人类健康和环境。最终，这些信息将被用于设计下一代碳纳米管。目前的研究表明，如果将该项目所关注的这类问题纳入课程，就有可能在科学和工程课程和专业中招聘和留住妇女和任职人数不足的群体。预计耶鲁大学也会出现类似的趋势，该校的工程类女本科生比例已经是全美最高的。虽然这个项目将为本科生和研究生提供研究机会，并被整合到耶鲁现有的课程中，但他们也对扩大这个项目的影响做出了独特和创新的贡献。该项目团队将与耶鲁-S皮博迪自然历史博物馆的工作人员和相关学生一起，为他们学校7-12年级的可持续发展课程开发一个适合年龄的模块，其中包括绿色产品设计和环境友好型制造的组件。通过这次体验，这些学生将更好地了解与设计和开发满足环境、经济和社会目标的产品和工艺相关的挑战，以及消费者在系统中的角色。