Chemical Transformations of Engineered Nanomaterials in the Environment: Fundamental Studies on Plant-Nanomaterial Interactions

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With this award, the Environmental Chemical Sciences Program of the Division of Chemistry is funding Professor Diana Aga and Professor Mary A Bisson of the University at Buffalo to investigate the influence of plants on the surface chemistry, fate and toxicity of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) that are becoming widely used in many industrial, agricultural and consumer products. Plants are among the organisms that will be directly impacted by ENMs entering the environment, therefore an improved understanding of the uptake mechanisms and translocation of ENMs by plants is needed to facilitate the assessment of potential risks associated with environmental contamination by ENMs. The broader impacts of this work include the generation of fundamental knowledge that is critical in developing new regulations to minimize the negative impacts of ENMs, and in promoting compatibility between environmental safety and nanotechnology. Experiments in environmental science are being developed for a science summer camp geared toward middle school children who are disabled and/or economically disadvantaged. The research team is also introducing educational materials to area high school teachers on the applications and implications of nanotechnology that can be incorporated into the high school science curriculum.To achieve these goals, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are used as model ENM and Arabidopsis thaliana serves as the model plant species in the series of experiments that are being performed to elucidate the mechanisms of internalization and transformation of AgNPs in plants. This research identifies important interactions between AgNPs and natural organic compounds in plant root exudates that result in surface modifications and changes in the speciation of ENMs. The composition of root exudates from Arabidopsis thaliana, and the changes that occur when plant is treated with AgNPs are being characterized using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. Wild type and mutant species Arabidopsis are used to determine the role of endocytosis mechanism and metal transporters in the uptake of ENMs. The localization and speciation of Ag in the plant cells are being determined by X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy and time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry.