Themed collection Recent Open Access Articles

We propose to include the time-dependent size distribution of dispersed and internalized nanoparticles (NPs) in the ecotoxicological evaluation of exposure of biota to NPs and to develop tools to add the particle dynamics in the bioavailability modelling of NPs.

The scientific community has invested effort into standardising methodologies for the regulatory ecotoxicity testing of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs), but the practical requirements for bioaccumulation testing of ENMs have been given less attention.

This frontier reviews impressive progresses of nano-enabled solar-driven water evaporation and clean water production made in the past 4 years.

We review trophic transfer of metal-based nanoparticles in aquatic ecosystems, present key factors affecting this transfer and highlight knowledge gaps.

Environmental transformations of natural and engineered carbon nanoparticles significantly affect their fate, transport, and interactions with organic contaminants.

Characterization of carbon nanotube dispersions requires measurement of both, concentration and surface area.

Different plant species respond differently to nCeO₂ under different culturing conditions: for some, deficiency of P enhances the accumulation of Ce (mainly Ce³⁺) and phytotoxicity.

Proteins encountered in biological and environmental systems bind to engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) to form a protein corona (PC) that alters the surface chemistry, reactivity, and fate of the ENMs.

Anisotropic silver nanoplates are of interest for their shape-dependent properties; however, their synthesis often requires surfactants and toxic chemicals.

The morphology of TiO₂ particles and their status within soil aggregates may provide insights on their origin.

Nanoconfinement of CO₂ in layered aluminosilicates contributes to the capture and release of this greenhouse gas in soils.

A green method for the synthesis of one-dimensional (1D) trigonal selenium (t-Se) nanostructures is presented.

Nanoparticle (NP) aggregation is typically investigated in either quiescent or turbulent mixing conditions; neither is fully representative of dynamic natural environments.

Interviews conducted with 66 experts to gather their perspectives on environmental risks from nanomedicines and their responses analysed using qualitative content analysis.

We investigate the effectiveness of two promising paradigms (i.e. dissolution and bandgap) to predict the toxicity of metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) in vivo and under seawater conditions.

A key hypothesis in nanosafety assessment is that the NP core chemistry and eco-corona are primary factors controlling toxicity.

The acidic properties of GO impair pollen performances of tobacco and hazel plants.

Investigation of changes in manufactured nanomaterial properties (i.e. redox, capping efficiency, aggregation, dissolution) with temperature as a proxy for time.

This study compares the effect of nanoscale and microscale zerovalent iron on natural freshwater microplankton over 21 days.

A lot of research efforts are currently dedicated to the development of nano-enabled agrochemicals. It is thus urgent to develop suitable strategies for their ecological assessment.

Sodium content and suspension pH control crystallite size and aggregation in δ-MnO₂ nanoparticles.

The combination of emission and fate modelling improves the exposure assessment of engineered nanoparticles in complex urban systems.

Oral exposure to up to 500 mg L⁻¹ nCeO₂ was sublethal for honeybees but altered the cholinergic system and induced other physiological responses.

In this study, a specifically-designed AIEgen was used to quantitatively evaluate the bioaccumulation of Hg²⁺ and visualize Hg²⁺ kinetics in vivo within the rotifer for the first time.

Nanoparticle-containing acrylic polymer dispersions showed virtually no acute aquatic toxicity in fairy shrimp and zebrafish embryos.

The bioavailability of silver was controlled by chloride and proteins through complexation, precipitation and colloidal stabilisation of silver chloride.

The toxicity interaction of wastewater with inorganic nanoparticles led to antagonistic mixtures due to the adsorption of micropollutants.

The integration of experimental and modelling approaches highlights the roles that aromaticity and functionalization play in sorption to fullerenes.

Quantitative data on nanoparticle and cation uptake are compared in a compartment-specific way and distinct differences between metals were identified.

Nano-sized tungsten carbide shows no acute toxicity for Daphnia magna and agglomeration and sedimentation due to the lack of interaction with NOM.

The development of in silico methods that support human health and environmental risk assessment of engineered nanomaterials is nowadays of high interest, because the application of those methods enables to fill the existing experimental data gaps.

We present investigations on the working principle of a new adsorber for the recycling of phosphate from waste water.

Iron carbide nanocrystals encapsulated by nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes demonstrated efficient and robust environmental catalysis for green remediation processes.

Multiple facets of TiO₂ nanoparticle destabilization mechanisms in the presence of surfactant molecules and divalent cations.

Environmental transformations had different effects on self-aggregation and initial deposition in granular media filtration, contrary to traditional theory.

Quantitative structure–photocatalytic activity relationship modeling of surface modified TiO₂-based nanoparticles.

The robustness of novel multimedia fate models in environmental exposure estimation of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) is clarified by evaluating uncertainties in the emission, physicochemical properties and natural variability in environmental systems.

Environmental aging of Al(OH)₃·TiO₂ degrades the protective Al(OH)₃ coating and alters the activity of the material.

This study provides for the first time in situ observations of organic matter and arsenic effects on iron(III) (hydr)oxide precipitation.

The structure and magnetic properties of nano-sized (1.6 to 4.4 nm) ferrihydrite samples are systematically investigated through a combination of X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray pair distribution function (PDF), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and magnetic analyses.

Transport of reactive Pd-NZVI particles in subsurface environments is limited in the presence of biofilm on aquifer grains.

Here we describe a method to form phase-segregated domain-containing supported lipid bilayers on silica substrates and demonstrate that the presence of these domains can alter nanoparticle interaction with bilayers.