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

有了这个奖项，化学学部的环境化学科学项目资助了布法罗大学的Diana Aga教授和Mary A Bisson教授，研究植物对工程纳米材料（enm）的表面化学、命运和毒性的影响，这些材料正在广泛应用于许多工业、农业和消费品中。植物是直接受到环境中ENMs影响的生物之一，因此需要更好地了解植物对ENMs的吸收机制和转运，以促进对ENMs污染环境的潜在风险的评估。这项工作的更广泛的影响包括产生基础知识，这对于制定新的法规以最大限度地减少enm的负面影响以及促进环境安全和纳米技术之间的兼容性至关重要。目前正在为一个面向残疾和（或）经济上处于不利地位的中学生的科学夏令营开发环境科学实验。该研究小组还向当地的高中教师介绍了纳米技术的应用和影响，这些材料可以纳入高中科学课程。为了实现这些目标，银纳米粒子（AgNPs）被用作模型ENM，拟南芥（Arabidopsis thaliana）作为模型植物物种，在一系列实验中阐明AgNPs在植物体内的内化和转化机制。本研究确定了植物根系分泌物中AgNPs与天然有机化合物之间的重要相互作用，导致enm的表面修饰和形态变化。利用傅里叶变换离子回旋共振质谱法研究了拟南芥根系分泌物的组成及其在AgNPs处理下发生的变化。野生型和突变种拟南芥被用来确定内吞机制和金属转运体在enm摄取中的作用。利用x射线吸收精细结构光谱和飞行时间二次离子质谱测定了银在植物细胞中的定位和形态。

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.