Concentration Of Carbon Nanoparticles Research Articles

Enhancing thermal performance: Utilizing carbon nanoparticles from tobacco waste butts in evacuated tube collectors

Sustainable Energy device's efficiency enhancement by utilizing the waste of tobacco is focused on this research. The carbon nanoparticles derived from the waste of tobacco through a novel approach. The produced Carbon nanoparticles were used to improve the efficiency of sustainable solar collectors in the form of nanofluid. When it comes to improving thermal performance, using nanofluids in evacuated tube collectors (ETSC) is the best option because of the improved thermo-physical characteristics of the working fluid. In this investigation, Syltherm oil was preferred for base fluid to prepare nanofluids with the concentrations of Carbon nanoparticles 0.05 vol%, 0.1 vol%, and 0.2 vol%. Additionally, a spiral coil heat exchanger was introduced to facilitate heat transfer between the nanofluid and water for heating applications. Results indicate that Syltherm/0.2 % carbon nanofluid exhibits higher thermal performance compared to neat Syltherm oil and other nanofluids. Notably, Syltherm/0.2 % carbon nanofluid demonstrated an average peak heat acquisition of 769.1 W and the lowest heat loss of 156.7 W. Furthermore, the thermal and exergy efficiencies are measured at 68.2 % and 42.5 %, respectively. These findings suggested that higher concentrations of carbon nanoparticles lead to increased heat transfer rate and improved efficiency compared to low-concentrated Nanofluids in the ETSC system.

Analyzing the effect of carbon nanoparticles on the combustion performance and emissions of a DI diesel engine fueled with the diesel-methanol blend

With the energy crisis and worsening environmental pollution, methanol, as a carbon-neutral fuel, has become a research hotspot in the field of internal combustion engines. This study discusses the influence of different kinds (graphite oxide, GO; multilayer graphene, MG; carbon nanotubes, CNT) and concentrations of carbon nanoparticles, which do not introduce any new elements, added to the diesel-methanol blend on combustion performance and exhaust emissions in a direct injection (DI) diesel engine across diverse operating load conditions. The results showed that the nano-fuels with carbon nano-additives had a better combustion process, with higher peak cylinder pressure (Pmax) and peak heat release rate (HRRmax), and lower ignition delay (ID) and combustion duration (CD). Moreover, the presence of carbon nano-additives resulted in an improvement in brake thermal efficiency (BTE) and a decrement in the break-specific fuel consumption (BSFC). The nano-fuels with GO showed the best optimization effect on the combustion process, followed by MG and CNT. As for emission, the nano-fuels had fewer emissions of CO, HC, and smoke opacity. The nano-fuels with CNT achieved the most significant decrease in emissions of CO and HC. While the presence of GO had the best reduction effect in smoke opacity. However, there was a slight increase in NOx emission. The experimental findings demonstrate that the utilization of carbon nanoparticles in nano-fuels can effectively enhance the application of methanol in internal combustion engines.

Effect of carbon nanoparticles on the growth and photosynthetic property of Ficus tikoua Bur. plant.

The application of nanomaterials in different plants exerts varying effects, both positive and negative. This study aimed to investigate the influence of carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) on the growth and development of Ficus tikoua Bur. plant. The morphological characteristics, photosynthetic parameters, and chlorophyll content of F. tikoua Bur. plants were evaluated under four different concentrations of CNPs. Results indicated a decreasing trend in several agronomic traits, such as leaf area, branching number, and green leaf number and most photosynthetic parameters with increasing CNPs concentration. Total chlorophyll and chlorophyll b contents were also significantly reduced in CNPs-exposed plants compared to the control. Notably, variations in plant tolerance to CNPs were observed based on morphological and physiological parameters. A critical concentration of 50 g/kg was identified as potentially inducing plant toxicity, warranting further investigation into the effects of lower CNPs concentrations to determine optimal application levels.

ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH ON THE PRODUCTION OF CARBON NANOPARTICLES AND THEIR APPLICATION IN TRIBOLOGY SYSTEMS

The article analyzes research on the production of carbon nanoparticles and their use in tribological systems. A comparison of the results of installations based on different methods of obtaining nanotubes and fullerenes shows that the purest and highest-quality product is obtained by laser evaporation of graphite, but this is a long, time-consuming and expensive process. The yield of useful products is up to 20 %. The thermal method has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages include the availability and cheapness of carbon raw materials: from oil, carbon gases to municipal waste. All of them are sources of nanotubes and fullerenes when using the thermal method. The yield of useful nanoproducts is average, and the purity reaches 90-95 %. The simplest known method is the electric arc method for obtaining nanotubes and fullerenes. However, the yield of useful products does not exceed 15%. In addition, the large number of reactor designs for obtaining highly structured carbon nanoparticles indicates that an acceptable design has not yet been found that would guarantee obtaining a product with specified properties, stable parameters and in the required quantities. The article also analyzes research on the effect of carbon nanoparticles on the lubricating film, provides a calculation scheme for the interaction of a carbon nanoparticle with a metal surface in a friction pair, and provides a calculation model for the change in the adsorption time of carbon nanoparticles depending on the radius to the initial distance. Which showed that according to the experimental data of other researchers, the data obtained regarding the time of physical adsorption of individual molecules and their aggregates is about 10-9 to 10-6 seconds, which confirms the priority of the formation of the solvate shell, and only then the manifestation of the adsorption of carbon nanoparticles. The analysis of studies on the influence of carbon nanoparticles showed that there is a dependence for determining the intensity of wear of sliding friction pairs in elastic contact, which takes into account the concentration of carbon nanoparticles in the oil and the contact pressure. According to the obtained dependence, the intensity of wear is inversely proportional to the concentration of carbon nanoparticles, and directly proportional to the contact pressure.

Carbon nanoparticles alleviate oxidative stress on BY-2 cells via promoting potassium accumulation

Carbon nanomaterials have been widely applied in promoting plant growth, but the effects on plants should require careful investigation. In our study, BY-2 cells were exposed to carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) with concentration of 0–125 μg/mL, for the purpose of better investigating the relationship between oxidative stress and potassium accumulation in BY-2 cells induced by CNPs. The results showed that CNPs significantly increased in the content of K+ and reduced Na+ content compared to control group, while oxidative stress was observed with no significantly changes, including H2O2 and malondialdehyde (MDA) content, antioxidant activities. These results might be associated with the content of potassium in cells, which had negative correlation with H2O2 content, as well as CAT antioxidant enzymes activity. Furthermore, IBR value is all less than 2 under the experiment concentration, indicating BY-2 cells are insensitive to CNPs exposure. The most important metabolites were clustered into three groups according to the concentration of CNPs (control, low concentration (0, 6.25, 31.25) and high concentration (62.50 and 125.00). Our findings indicate that CNPs can alleviate oxidative stress through increasing in potassium content in BY-2 cells, and also shed light on understanding the underlying mechanism of toxicity of carbon nanomaterials in plant.

Thermal and morphological properties of electro spun polyamide – poly vinyl alcohol/CNPs nanofibers for filtration process

This study aims to prepare the carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) composites based polyamide 6,6 (PA66) via in situ polymerization process. Branch (PA 66) were created by simple condensation polymerization. The electrospinning technique (EST) to produce PVA and PA66 reinforced with (CNPs) nanofibers was used under limit conditions. Several testing including (AFM, SEM, FTIR, and DSC) were performed on the samples. FTIR results demonstrated the production of PA66 absorption peaks that are identical to the standard sample. The DSC results showed the addition of CNPs to PA66 leads to an increase the Tg, a decrease the Tm, and an increase Tdec. strongly. The AFM results revealed that EST formed a homogeneous porosity, and that the bearing index of the surface increased as the concentration of CNPs increased. The SEM results demonstrated that EST produced nanofibers with a uniform form and an average diameter about 350 nm that decreased with increasing CNP concentration. The results also indicated that the sample with the best morphology, suitable porosity, free beads, and best alignment of nanofibers is a sample (C), which has less than 500 nm of nanofibers diameter, roughness range about 197 nm, pore sizes range about 1000 nm, and bearing index about 0.11.

Investigation of the stability of nanofluids based on water and carbon nanoparticles synthesized by the electric arc method

In this work, arc discharge synthesis was carried out by sputtering electrodes of various compositions in a helium medium, as a result of which two types of materials containing carbon globules and graphene flakes were obtained. The synthesized materials were characterized with transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The effect of the type and concentration of carbon nanoparticles and the type of surfactants on the stability of water-based nanofluids was studied with optical spectroscopy. For carbon globules and water, the mass concentrations of nanoparticles and sodium dodecyl sulfate were determined to obtain a nanofluid based on them stable for 1 month, which are 0.02% and 1%, respectively. It was shown that the use of neonol AF 9-12 at a concentration of 2% didn’t lead to the stabilization of carbon globules with a mass concentration of 0.02% in water. For graphene flakes, the mass concentrations of nanoparticles and stabilizers to obtain a water-based nanofluid stable for 1 month were: 0.02% graphene flakes and 1% SDS, as well as 0.02% graphene flakes and 2% neonol AF 9-12, respectively.

Influence of incorporation carbon nanoparticles CNP on the mechanical properties of polystyrene composite

Polymer nanocomposites have recently received a lot of attention as they are anticipated to be used in a variety of applications. In this study, the effect of adding carbon nanoparticles to polystyrene and using Injection molding technique are investigated. The impact of adding different weight fractions of carbon nanoparticles (CNP) on tensile properties, impact strength and hardness performance of polystyrene polymer were measured. Tensile and impact strength increased with the addition of nanoparticles (CNP). The polymer composites with 0.025 wt.% CNP demonstrated maximum tensile and impact strength compared to pure polystyrene. Also, the maximum value of hardness appeared at 0.1 wt.% of CNP finally cracks are found in higher CNP concentration compared with lower percentages of CNP.

Effect of carbon nano colloid and its synergism with some antibiotics on Klebsiella pneumonia isolated from UTI of pregnant women

Recently, Klebsiella pneumoniae has become a serious pathogen due to the serious diseases it causes including urinary tract infections especially in pregnant women pneumonia, liver abscess and gastrointestinal. Recent research has tried to find new ways to confront the resistance of these bacteria against different types of antibiotics. Out of 150 isolates that were isolated from urinary tract infections for pregnant women 24 were Klebsiella spp. Molecularly, K. pneumoniae isolates were identified as 16SrRNA of Klebsiella pneumoniae by using polymerase chain reaction. Carbon nano colloid was prepared to investigate the effect of its synergy with antibiotics on the growth of Klebsiella pneumoniae, resistant to a number of antibiotics. The results showed that the highest percentage of the number of bacterial isolates was in the age group 26-30 years. Molecular diagnostics showed that 17 of K. pneumoniae isolates gave a molecular size 274 base pair when PCR was performed using the primer targeting 16SrRNA. Two strains of Klebsiella pneumonia were selected as the most resistant isolates against antibiotics. Multiple concentrations of carbon nanoparticles were synergized with antibiotics and the results showed a broad effect in inhibiting the growth of bacterial isolates. Higher is the concentration of nanoparticles, higher is the sensitivity of Klebsiella pneumonia. The results recorded highest inhibition zoon of 35 mm in Kl.1 isolate and 34 mm in Kl.2 isolate at concentration (1:4) of carbon nanoparticles and Ceftriaxon antibiotic. The concentration of (1:4) of amikacin antibiotic and carbon nanoparticles recorded inhibition zoon (40 and 38 mm) of Kl.1 and Kl.2. The results of the synergistic effect of the antibiotic Gentamicin with carbon nanoparticles showing inhibition zoon diameters were 39 and 28 of the two isolates Kl.1 and Kl.2 respectively.

The Potential of Carbon Nanoparticles as a Stimulant to Improve the Propagation of Native Boreal Forest Species: A Mini-Review

Boreal forests across Canada and other geographic areas globally have vast networks or densities of seismic lines, pipelines, access roads, utility corridors, and multipurpose trails collectively termed “linear disturbances” or “linear features.” Additionally, large areas of disturbances attributed to resource harvesting represent a major anthropogenic impact on the global boreal forest ecosystem. Restoration of these disturbed areas is currently a significant component of global boreal forest management strategies. A key to successful restoration or re-vegetation of these disturbed sites is the availability of highly adaptive native planting materials to grow and establish on the disturbed sites, particularly in varying abiotic stressors or severe environmental conditions. Abiotic stress includes non-living environmental factors, including salinity, drought, waterlogging or extreme temperatures, adversely affecting plant growth, development, and establishment on field sites. Herein, we present the concept of nanopriming native boreal seeds with microgram concentrations of carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) as an effective approach to improve the propagation and vigor of native boreal forest species. Priming refers to the technique of hydrating seeds in solutions or in combination with a solid matrix to enhance the rate at which they germinate and their germination uniformity. Seed priming has been shown to increase seed vigor in many plant species. In this mini-review, we will provide a brief overview of the effect of nanopriming on seed germination and seed vigor in agricultural plants and native boreal forest species, indicating the potential future applications of CNPs on native boreal species for use in forest reclamation or restoration.

Lung Surfactant Decreases Biochemical Alterations and Oxidative Stress Induced by a Sub-Toxic Concentration of Carbon Nanoparticles in Alveolar Epithelial and Microglial Cells.

Carbon-based nanomaterials are nowadays attracting lots of attention, in particular in the biomedical field, where they find a wide spectrum of applications, including, just to name a few, the drug delivery to specific tumor cells and the improvement of non-invasive imaging methods. Nanoparticles inhaled during breathing accumulate in the lung alveoli, where they interact and are covered with lung surfactants. We recently demonstrated that an apparently non-toxic concentration of engineered carbon nanodiamonds (ECNs) is able to induce oxidative/nitrosative stress, imbalance of energy metabolism, and mitochondrial dysfunction in microglial and alveolar basal epithelial cells. Therefore, the complete understanding of their “real” biosafety, along with their possible combination with other molecules mimicking the in vivo milieu, possibly allowing the modulation of their side effects becomes of utmost importance. Based on the above, the focus of the present work was to investigate whether the cellular alterations induced by an apparently non-toxic concentration of ECNs could be counteracted by their incorporation into a synthetic lung surfactant (DPPC:POPG in 7:3 molar ratio). By using two different cell lines (alveolar (A549) and microglial (BV-2)), we were able to show that the presence of lung surfactant decreased the production of ECNs-induced nitric oxide, total reactive oxygen species, and malondialdehyde, as well as counteracted reduced glutathione depletion (A549 cells only), ameliorated cell energy status (ATP and total pool of nicotinic coenzymes), and improved mitochondrial phosphorylating capacity. Overall, our results on alveolar basal epithelial and microglial cell lines clearly depict the benefits coming from the incorporation of carbon nanoparticles into a lung surfactant (mimicking its in vivo lipid composition), creating the basis for the investigation of this combination in vivo.

Plasma‐modified CNFs, GPs, and their mixtures for enhanced polypropylene thermal conductivity

AbstractLow thermal conductivity of polypropylene (PP) is a key factor in limiting its use for the manufacture of solar heaters. To overcome this problem, in the present work, two different methods were tested to increase the thermal conductivity of a PP matrix by increasing the dispersion and compatibility between PP and carbon nanoparticles (CNPs). In the first method, CNPs modified superficially by plasma of propylene were used, and in the second, mixtures of CNPs (carbon nanofibers and graphene platelets in 9:1, 8:2, and 7:3 ratios) were used. Dispersion and compatibility between PP and CNPs were tested by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy. The results show that both methodologies increase the dispersion and compatibility and, therefore, the thermal conductivity of the PP matrix (0.14 W m−1 K−1), which reached up 0.90 W m−1 K−1. It was also observed that dispersion is a key factor in high concentrations (5 wt/wt%) of CNPs to obtain high thermal conductivity and compatibility in low concentrations (1 wt/wt%). Finally, only a synergistic effect was observed at 1 wt/wt% when using surface‐modified CNPs by plasma and at 5 wt/wt% when the CNPs were used without surface treatment.

Consolidating emission indices of a diesel engine powered by carbon nanoparticle-doped diesel/biodiesel emulsion fuels using life cycle assessment framework

This study was aimed at consolidating emission indices of a diesel engine powered by carbon nanoparticles (CNP)-doped diesel/biodiesel emulsion fuels using a life cycle assessment (LCA) framework. The effects of fuel chemistry and engine load on the consolidated LCA-based environmental indicators of the engine (i.e., human health, ecosystem quality, climate change, and resource consumption damage categories) were investigated. Mineral diesel was reconstituted by adding 5 wt% biodiesel, 3 wt% water, and various concentrations of the waste-derived aqueous CNP ranging from 38 to 150 μM. Three CNP-free baseline fuels were also used as control. The engine was loaded in the range of 25–100% and at a fixed speed of 1000 rpm. In general, electricity use in the CNP manufacturing process increased all the investigated damage categories for the fuel blends dosed with the nanoadditive. Nevertheless, the lowest weighted environmental impacts per GJ shaft work were also obtained for the CNP-doped emulsified fuels. More specifically, dosing diesel/biodiesel emulsion fuel with 38 and 150 µM CNP favorably mitigated all the LCA-based environmental indicators considered herein through declining brake specific fuel consumption, boosting brake power, as well as abating lower brake specific nitrogen oxides and brake specific carbon dioxide. The weighted environmental impacts showed that diesel/biodiesel emulsion fuels doped with 150 and 38 µM nanoadditive were the most appealing fuel blends at low and full load operations, respectively. The eco-friendliest blend was diesel/biodiesel emulsion doped with 38 µM nanoadditive with an overall score of 61.3 mPts/GJ shaft work.

In-Plane and Out-of-Plane MEMS Piezoresistive Cantilever Sensors for Nanoparticle Mass Detection.

In this study, we investigate the performance of two piezoresistive micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS)-based silicon cantilever sensors for measuring target analytes (i.e., ultrafine particulate matters). We use two different types of cantilevers with geometric dimensions of 1000 × 170 × 19.5 µm3 and 300 × 100 × 4 µm3, which refer to the 1st and 2nd types of cantilevers, respectively. For the first case, the cantilever is configured to detect the fundamental in-plane bending mode and is actuated using a resistive heater. Similarly, the second type of cantilever sensor is actuated using a meandering resistive heater (bimorph) and is designed for out-of-plane operation. We have successfully employed these two cantilevers to measure and monitor the changes of mass concentration of carbon nanoparticles in air, provided by atomizing suspensions of these nanoparticles into a sealed chamber, ranging from 0 to several tens of µg/m3 and oversize distributions from ~10 nm to ~350 nm. Here, we deploy both types of cantilever sensors and operate them simultaneously with a standard laboratory system (Fast Mobility Particle Sizer, FMPS, TSI 3091) as a reference.

Interfacial reinforcement of hybrid composite by electrophoretic deposition for vertically aligned carbon nanotubes on carbon fiber

In this paper, vertically aligned carbon nanotube/carbon fiber (VACNT/CF) hybrids was prepared by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) under mild conditions. The coaxial cylindrical electrode with CF filament as the cathode was employed to ensure dense VACNT arrays deposited on CF surface at low deposition voltage. The effect factors on the carbon nanoparticles alignment were investigated by the micro-morphology observations of hybrid fibers, including the diameter of carbon nanoparticles, types of solvent, deposition voltages, deposition time and the concentrations of carbon nanoparticles in dispersion. The results indicate that the optimum electrophoretic deposition conditions for vertically aligned hybrid fibers is the diameter of carbon nanoscale reinforcements of 110–170 mm, acetonitrile (ACN) as the dispersion medium, deposition voltage of 30 V, deposition time of 20 s and dispersion concentration of the carbon nanoparticles of 0.01 mg/mL. Single fiber tensile testing was performed and manifested that EPD in a coaxially cylindrical electric field was not destructive and could preserve the mechanical properties of CF filaments. Results of interphase properties tests demonstrated that the contact angle and the interfacial shear strength (IFSS) were significantly improved by 48.3% and 58.1% compared to that of as-recieved CF, respectively. The interfacial enhancement mechanism was also explored in details.

Synthesis and characterization of antibacterial magnetite-activated carbon nanoparticles

Magnetite iron oxide nanoparticles synthesized using the co-precipitation methods were further functionalized with activated carbon. The magnetite-activated carbon nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and UV-Vis spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared confirmed the functionalization of the Fe3O4 nanoparticles with the activated carbon. The X-ray diffraction studies demonstrate that magnetite-activated carbon nanoparticles were indexed into the spinel cubic lattice with a lattice parameter of 0.833 nm and an average particle size of about 14 nm. Various parameters such as dislocation density, microstrain, and surface morphological studies were calculated. However, this work implicated the use of magnetite-activated carbon nanoparticles in antibacterial studies. Further, the antibacterial effect of magnetite-activated carbon nanoparticles was evaluated against three pathogenic bacteria, which showed that the nanoparticles have moderate antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive ( Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative ( Proteus mirabilis and Pseudomonas aureginosa) pathogenic bacterial strains in the presence of different magnetite-activated carbon nanoparticle concentrations at room temperature.

Carbon nanoparticles assisted energy transport mechanism in leaves: A thermal lens study

In the world of increasing population and pollution due to carbon emissions, the research for effective utilization of futile diesel soot for fruitful applications has become a necessity for a sustainable development. The contribution to pollution from vehicles and industries due to the aging of engines has caused a crisis. Carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) have been the subject of interest because of their good physical, chemical, and biological properties. The present work investigates the role of CNPs produced by internal combustion engines on the energy transport mechanism among leaf pigments using the sensitive and nondestructive single beam thermal lens technique. The studies reveal the absorption changes by various chlorophyll pigments with the concentration of CNPs sprayed on the leaves. Though for low concentrations CNPs lower the photon absorbance by chlorophyll pigments, the effect gets reversed at higher concentrations. The variation of thermal diffusivity with CNP concentration and its role in the energy transport mechanism among chlorophyll pigments are also studied. It is found that CNP concentrations of 625-2500mg/l are good for better intra-pigment energy transport leading to increased rate of photosynthesis and plant yield and thereby helping in attaining food security. The variation of CNP assisted energy transport among leaf pigments on the production of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) and carbohydrates is also studied with ultraviolet (UV) and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy.

Spectroscopic approach for the interaction of carbon nanoparticles with cytochrome c and BY-2 cells: Protein structure and mitochondrial function

In this study, we employed multiple spectroscopic methods to analyze the effects of carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) on structure of cytochrome c (Cyt c) and mitochondrial function in plant cells. The tertiary structures of aromatic amino acid in Cyt c were not changed after addition of CNPs. Cyt c was found to be absorbed on the surfaces of CNPs in a non-linear manner and only bound Cyt c can be reduced. In addition, the binding of Cyt c was found to increase the diameter of CNPs at lower concentrations. The redox potential of Cyt c was almost not affected after treatment with CNPs. There were no obvious differences in cellular ATP after exposure to CNPs, and the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was significantly decreased once the CNPs concentration exceeded 31.25 μg/mL. The levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) also were increased in BY-2 cells. Taken together, these findings provide basis for the interactions between CNPs and Cyt c, as well as the effect of CNPs treatment on the mitochondria function in plant cells.

Method for quantitative measurements of carbon nanotubes mass amount in liquid and solid media including organic materials

The goal of this study is to develop a universal, simple and cheap method to measure the concentration of carbon nanoparticles in heterogeneous organic solid or liquid media. The proposed method of quantitative measurements of carbon nanoparticles is based on the use of hard-to-remove impurities-catalysts present in most commercially produced carbon nanoparticles. These impurities are metals of the transition group of the periodic table, rare or alkali metals. These impurities form markers on the carbon nanoparticles, which can be detected in liquid and solid matrices without any special sample preparation by non-destructive nuclear physical methods of elemental analysis, e.g., neutron activation analysis or x-ray fluorescence analysis. Detection and quantitative analysis of carbon nanoparticles, especially in an organic matrix is a quite difficult problem. It becomes most difficult in biological samples which demonstrate heterogeneous media with complicated chemical and phase composition. To resolve this problem a lot of methods were developed and presented in dozens of patents and manuscripts. The fact is that now there is a good method for any particular case, but usually all of the methods are very laborious, time consuming and highly specialised. It is important that there are experiments (e.g., biological study of assimilation, distribution, metabolism and excretion of nanoparticles in living organisms), which need analyses of hundreds of samples. Thus labour consuming and cost of measurements are major braking factors. The proposed method requires short time and low labour cost. The method can be used in materials science, as well as in ecology, biology and experimental pharmacology.

The Use of Carbon Nanoparticles for Inkjet-Printed Functional Labels for Smart Packaging

Smart packaging functions can be provided by printing functional labels onto packaging materials using inkjet printing and inks with changeable photoluminescence properties. Carbon nanoparticles are considered a perspective fluorescent component of such inks. Ink compositions based on carbon nanoparticles are developed and adapted for inkjet printing on paper packaging materials for producing smart packaging labels. The influence of technological factors of the printing process on the photoluminescence characteristics of the printed images is investigated. The main investigated factors are the concentration of carbon nanoparticles, the relative area of raster elements of a raster field of a tone image, the absorbance and surface smoothness of paper. The resulting parameters are photoluminescence intensity and color. It is found that in case of changes in surface smoothness and absorbance of paper and concentrations of carbon nanoparticles in the ink compositions, the photoluminescence intensity of a printed image changes while its photoluminescence color remains the same. To obtain the highest contrast of tone inkjet-printed images with carbon nanoparticles on papers with any absorbance, the highest concentration of carbon nanoparticles in the ink composition should be used. However, the highest contrast and the highest own photoluminescence intensity of a tone inkjet-printed image with inks with carbon nanoparticles can be achieved only on papers with the lowest absorbance. The most noticeable difference between photoluminescence intensity of printed images on papers with any absorbance can be obtained with the lower concentration of carbon nanoparticles in the ink composition (10 mg/mL). The optimum concentrations of carbon nanoparticles in the composition are determined: for papers with low absorbance—10 mg/mL, and for papers with medium and high absorbance—25 mg/mL. Analytical dependency is created for photoluminescence intensity of images printed with inkjet printing inks with carbon nanoparticles as a function of the studied technological factors. Some design solutions for photoluminescent labels are suggested.