Abstract
The toxicity and ecotoxicity effects, handling and disposal of synthetic amorphous silica nanoparticles and aerogels are reviewed and discussed.
Highlights
Critical reviewEnvironmental Science: Nano capillary forces existent during evaporative drying
The growth of works under this topic has been exponential since (Fig. 1), which is certainly justified by the unpaired aerogel characteristics, i.e., a fine nanostructured 3D network composed of clusters of interlinked nanoparticles, with porosity usually above 90%, that results in a high surface area, ultra-lightweight solid.[7,8]
This phenomenon is caused by the rearrangement of their backbone in contact with water leading to fast collapse of the pores.[28]
Summary
Safe handling and disposal of silica aerogels and amorphous nanoparticles. Amorphous forms of silica have always raised a lot of interest by the scientific community and are nowadays rapidly growing in commercial applications. These are commercialized as aerogels or as nanoparticles, which can feature many similarities, in the synthesis process and because clusters of nanoparticles are commonly released from aerogels. Amorphous silica is known to be less toxic than its crystalline form, but toxicity studies, regulatory aspects and handling practices are still scarce. Relevant safety practices for handling these materials are discussed and strategies used to recycle and dispose them are summarized
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