Nanotechnology: UV light triggers
chemical clean-up
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NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
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Nanoscience and technology
Embargo
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London: Tuesday 21 July 2015 16:00 (BST)
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New York: Tuesday 21 July 2015 11:00 (EDT)
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Tokyo: Wednesday 22 July 2015 00:00 (JST)
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Sydney: Wednesday 22 July 2015 01:00 (AEST)
A degradable nanoparticle system that absorbs pollutants from soil and water and then clump
together if exposed to UV light is described in a paper published in Nature Communications this
week. The platform offers a new approach for environmental clean-up by combining the highabsorption dynamics of nanoparticles with the ease of removal of bulk materials.
Exposure to waste chemicals is associated with increased risk of developing many disorders
including cancer and diabetes. Nanoparticles that can bind or degrade pollutants offer a solution
to the high prevalence of contaminated waters and soils; however, there are concerns about the
formation of potentially toxic secondary products and the persistence of the nanomaterial in the
environment. Given the unknown risks that this technology may carry, it is important to find
effective ways to remove the nanomaterial from the environment following treatment.
Robert Langer and colleagues have now developed nanoparticles that bind and extract
chemicals from contaminated water and soils. Once treated with ultraviolet light the nanoparticles
shed their external layer and aggregate into lumps enriched with the pollutant, which can be
easily separated and removed. This allows the use of highly active materials for pollutant
extraction, without the risk of the nanomaterials persisting in the environment after use.
Preliminary experiments using wastewater, thermal printing paper and contaminated soil
suggests that this treatment can be successful without generating any toxic by-products.
Article and author details
1. Nanoparticles with photoinduced precipitation for the extraction
of pollutants from water and soil
Corresponding Author
Robert Langer
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Email: rlanger@mit.edu, Tel: +1 617 253 3107
DOI
10.1038/ncomms8765
Online paper*
http://nature.com/articles/doi:10.1038/ncomms8765
* Please link to the article in online versions of your report (the URL will go live after the embargo ends).
Geographical listings of authors
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Brazil
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, Canada
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, Germany
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& United States
Image 1
Caption: Nanoparticles that lose their stability upon irradiation with light have been designed to extract endocrine
disruptors, pesticides and other contaminants from water and soils. The system exploits the large surface-tovolume ratio of nanoparticles, while the photo induced precipitation ensures nanomaterials are not released in the
environment.
Credit: Nicolas Bertrand