Quantifying the physcio-chemical characteristics of cerium oxide nanoparticles; a preliminary for ecotoxicological investigations

人造纳米颗粒（NP）可以定义为人类活动有目的地产生的材料，其在1到100 nm之间（1 nm是一米的十亿分之一）。在过去的3-5年里，由于我们对纳米颗粒在环境中的有害影响的了解有限，以及由于纳米技术产业的规模庞大且不断增长，因此对纳米颗粒的环境影响产生了浓厚的兴趣和研究。NERC已经认识到这一点，将环境纳米科学作为其环境，污染和人类健康主题的七个关键领域之一。此外，包括皇家学会和皇家工程学院在内的许多学术机构的报告（http：//www.nanotec.org.uk/finalReport.htm）于2004年发表的报告也强调了这一关切。据估计，2005年全世界政府在纳米技术方面的研发支出约为41亿美元（Roco，2005年），私人来源提供了同等数额的资金，而且逐年增加。据估计，到2014年，全球市场约为2万亿英镑，纳米技术产品现在可用于各种消费品（织物，化妆品等），并用于一系列商业和工业过程（如环境修复）。很明显，纳米科学和纳米技术在经济和社会上都是非常重要的活动，并且在不久的将来会变得更加重要。然而，同样清楚的是，考虑到这些纳米颗粒的使用量和潜在毒性的增加，可能会对环境和人类健康产生不利影响。氧化铈是一种纳米颗粒，用于一系列产品和工艺中，对环境可能有益或有害，但我们对哪些参数使它们有害或有益的了解很少。该项目将生产严格控制的纳米颗粒，这些纳米颗粒将在其物理和化学特性方面进行彻底的表征，包括尺寸，氧化态，聚集行为，表面特性。所有这些参数都可能影响其环境效应。纳米颗粒将用于未来的项目，调查纳米颗粒对细菌、藻类、无脊椎动物和鱼类的生态毒理学影响，但不直接在本项目中进行。

Manufactured nanoparticles (NPs) can be defined as material purposefully produced by human activity which is between 1 and 100 nm (1 nm is a thousand millionth of a metre). In the last 3-5 years, there has been intense interest and research in the environmental effects of NPs because of our limited knowledge of their harmful effects in the environment and due to the large and increasing scale of the nanotechnology industry. The NERC has recognized this by making Environmental Nanoscience one of seven key areas of concern in its Environment, Pollution and Human Health theme. In addition, this concern has been highlighted by reports from many learned bodies including the Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering report (http://www.nanotec.org.uk/finalReport.htm) published in 2004. Worldwide government R&D spending in 2005 on nanotechnology was estimated as ca US$ 4100 million (Roco, 2005) with equivalent sums coming from private sources, and which is increasing year on year. Global markets have been estimated as ca £2 trillion by 2014 and nanotechnology products are now available in an enormous range of consumer goods (fabrics, cosmetics etc) and are used in a range of commercial and industrial processes (such as environmental remediation). It is clear that nanoscience and nanotechnology are immensely important activities, both economically and socially, and will become more so in the near future. Nevertheless, it is also clear that given the scale of the increasing usage and the potential toxicity of these NPs, adverse environmental and human health effects are likely. Cerium oxide is one type of nanoparticle which is used in a range of products and processes and which is potentially beneficial or harmful in the environment but our knowledge of what parameters make them harmful or beneficial is poor. This project will produce tightly controlled NPs which will be characterised thoroughly in terms of their physical and chemical characteristics including size, oxidation state, aggregation behaviour, surface properties. All of these parameters may affect their environmental effects. The NPs will be available for future projects investigating the ecotoxicological effects of NPs in bacteria, algae, invertebrates and fish, but not performed directly in this project.