Impacts of titanium dioxide nanoparticles on transformation of silver nanoparticles in aquatic environments

Abstract

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nano-TiO₂) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are widely used in industrial products and consumer goods due to their excellent physicochemical and antimicrobial properties. As a result of their wide applications, AgNPs and nano-TiO₂ may be present in the same natural aquatic systems or wastewater treatment plants. In this study, the impacts of nano-TiO₂ on the transformation of AgNPs in the dark and under simulated sunlight irradiation were investigated. Under dark conditions, heteroaggregation occurred between nano-TiO₂ and AgNPs. Under sunlight irradiation, nano-TiO₂ promoted the dissolution of AgNPs to release Ag⁺ ions and the impact became more significant as the concentration of nano-TiO₂ increased. The promotion effect was attributed to the highly oxidative hydroxyl radicals generated by nano-TiO₂ under sunlight irradiation. Meanwhile, some small fresh Ag⁰ nanoparticles formed due to the reduction of the released Ag⁺ ions by the photogenerated electrons on nano-TiO₂. Natural organic matter, such as fulvic acid, could attenuate the promotion effect due to adsorption on the surface of nano-TiO₂ and suppression of generation of hydroxyl radicals. Since Ag⁺ ions and small sized Ag⁰ nanoparticles displayed greater toxicities than large-sized AgNPs, the interaction of nano-TiO₂ and AgNPs under sunlight irradiation could significantly affect the bioavailability and ecotoxicities of AgNPs.