Impact Of Single-walled Carbon Nanotubes Research Articles

Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes as an Additive in Organic Photovoltaics: Effects on Carrier Generation and Recombination Dynamics

Employing single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) as an additive in the active layer of organic photovoltaics (OPV) to improve charge extraction is gaining weight in the research community. While SWNTs can transport charge carriers orders of magnitudes faster than conventional polymers, they also quench excitons and trap‐free charges, reducing device performance. Such influences of SWNTs on OPV device performance remain inadequately explored and incompletely understood. Herein, the impact of SWNTs, enriched in (6,5) chirality, on the charge generation and extraction properties of two different OPV devices is studied by femtosecond‐microsecond transient absorption spectroscopy and transient photovoltage/photocurrent techniques. It is shown that depending on the donor material properties (e.g., energetics), SWNTs can reduce carrier generation by quenching the excitons and increase carrier recombination through trapping processes. Then, by performing an analytical calculation of the current–voltage characteristics of the devices using the parameters determined via the transient measurements, it is shown that the increased recombination also relates to morphological changes induced by the SWNTs. These results shed light on the performance limiting factors of the SWNTs when incorporated into the active layer of the solar cells. This work thus can accelerate the blend optimization process for high‐performance organic solar cells.

Impact of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes on Neural Progenitors: From Endocytosis to Differentiation

Carbon nanotubes are often lauded for their utility as delivery agents for drug and gene therapeutics. Their size and tunable functionalization allows them to clear the blood brain barrier and gain access to the central nervous system (CNS). Our previous studies of the effect of (GT)20 DNA-wrapped single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) on C17.2 neural progenitor cells (NPCs) have shown that endocytosis of nanomolar concentrations of SWNTs triggers an increase in differentiation yield of NPCs. Biophysical prompts at the extracellular membrane will generate a mechanotransduction-based response in the intracellular space, setting off a signaling cascade and ending in the alteration of cellular fate processes. This biophysical stimulus of the cell can result in biochemical downstream alterations of cell division, proliferation and differentiation. While the later stages of differentiation (14-21 days) of NPCs have been studied, the early induction of differentiation as a result of nanomaterial entry into the cell is not widely understood. This study aims to identify markers associated with early differentiation of NPCs within the first 1-3 days post-nanomaterial internalization. Preceding work on receptor/clathrin-mediated endocytosis (RME) as the primary method of DNA-SWNT entry, lead to detailed pathway analysis and identification of doublecortin (DCX), Notch1/numb, clathrin/AP-2 complex and NeuroD1 to be among the proteins crucial to test for connecting the RME pathway to the onset of NPC differentiation. A mechanistic understanding of the path from endocytosis to neural differentiation, and how nanotubes alter stem cell decision-making machinery, can aid in designing natural differentiation augmentation as a potential therapeutic against neurodegenerative diseases.

Impact of single-walled carbon nanotubes on the embryo: a brief review.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are considered one of the most interesting materials in the 21st century due to their unique physiochemical characteristics and applicability to various industrial products and medical applications. However, in the last few years, questions have been raised regarding the potential toxicity of CNTs to humans and the environment; it is believed that the physiochemical characteristics of these materials are key determinants of CNT interaction with living cells and hence determine their toxicity in humans and other organisms as well as their embryos. Thus, several recent studies, including ours, pointed out that CNTs have cytotoxic effects on human and animal cells, which occur via the alteration of key regulator genes of cell proliferation, apoptosis, survival, cell–cell adhesion, and angiogenesis. Meanwhile, few investigations revealed that CNTs could also be harmful to the normal development of the embryo. In this review, we will discuss the toxic role of single-walled CNTs in the embryo, which was recently explored by several groups including ours.

Toxic Effect of Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes Combined with Cadmium to the Crustacean <i>Daphnia magna</i>

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) on the toxicity of cadmium (Cd) using the crustacean Daphnia magna. LC50 of Cd and SWCNT alone and combined were calculated and compared. Sorption of Cd on SWCNT was also quantified in separate batch experiments. Results showed that the maximum adsorption of Cd onto SWCNT calculated by the Langmuir equation was 24.4 mg kg-1. LC50s for Cd and SWCNT alone were 252.3 µg L-1 and 1400 µg L-1, respectively. In the presence of 500 and 1000 µg L-1 of SWCNT, Cd LC50s were 127.2 and 120.1 µg L-1 respectively. Therefore, Cd toxicity increased when organisms were exposed to both contaminants which indicated that SWCNT induces a synergistic toxic effect on the survival of D. magna. It appears that even if SWCNT had a low adsorption capacity for Cd, toxicity of the metal can be increased. Our study shows the complexity of SWCNT toxicity and how the understanding of their interactions with other contaminants is crucial to determine the consequences of their release into the environment.

Toxic Effect of Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes Combined with Cadmium to the Crustacean <i>Daphnia magna</i>

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) on the toxicity of cadmium (Cd) using the crustacean Daphnia magna. LC50 of Cd and SWCNT alone and combined were calculated and compared. Sorption of Cd on SWCNT was also quantified in separate batch experiments. Results showed that the maximum adsorption of Cd onto SWCNT calculated by the Langmuir equation was 24.4 mg kg-1. LC50s for Cd and SWCNT alone were 252.3 µg L-1 and 1400 µg L-1, respectively. In the presence of 500 and 1000 µg L-1 of SWCNT, Cd LC50s were 127.2 and 120.1 µg L-1 respectively. Therefore, Cd toxicity increased when organisms were exposed to both contaminants which indicated that SWCNT induces a synergistic toxic effect on the survival of D. magna. It appears that even if SWCNT had a low adsorption capacity for Cd, toxicity of the metal can be increased. Our study shows the complexity of SWCNT toxicity and how the understanding of their interactions with other contaminants is crucial to determine the consequences of their release into the environment.

The effect of single-walled carbon nanotubes on Escherichia coli: multiple indicators of viability

The impact of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) on Escherichia coli ATCC 8739 was investigated using four indicators of viability: enzyme activity, membrane integrity, plate count, and total RNA. The study examined the effects of SWCNT concentration (5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, and 1,000 μg/ml), SWCNT length (0.5–2 and 5–30 μm), and bacterial density (6.5 log10 CFU and 9 log10 CFU per treatment) on E. coli ATCC 8739 viability. Results show that anti-bacterial activity is dependent on both the length and concentration of SWCNTs. Long SWCNTs (5–30 µm) were more toxic for E. coli than short SWCNTs (0.5–2 µm). The susceptibility of E. coli to SWCNTs was dependent on the initial density of cells in the treatment, with cells at the higher density being more resistant. Estimates of viability reductions were generally similar for the four assays examined; however, the beta galactosidase and LIVE/DEAD assays were more conservative than the plate count as indicators of viability reductions.

Molecular characterization of toxicity mechanism of single-walled carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are one of widely used nanomaterials in industry and biomedicine. The potential impact of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) was evaluated using Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) as a toxicological animal model. SWCNTs are extremely hydrophobic to form large agglomerates in aqueous solutions. Highly soluble amide-modified SWCNTs (a-SWCNTs) were therefore used in the present study so that the exact impact of SWCNTs could be studied. No significant toxicity was observed in C. elegans due to the amide modification. a-SWCNTs were efficiently taken up by worms and caused acute toxicity, including retarded growth, shortened lifespan and defective embryogenesis. The resulting toxicity was reversible since C. elegans could recover from a-SWCNT-induced toxicity once the exposure terminates. Chronic exposure to low doses of a-SWCNTs during all development stages could also cause a toxic accumulation in C. elegans. Genome-wide gene expression analysis was performed to investigate the toxic molecular mechanisms. Functional genomic analysis and molecular biology validation suggest that defective endocytosis, the decreased activity of the citrate cycle and the reduced nuclear translocation of DAF-16 transcription factor play key roles in inducing the observed a-SWCNT toxicity in worms. The present study presents an integrated approach to evaluating the toxicity of nanomaterials at the organism and molecular level for human and environmental health and demonstrates that traditional toxicological endpoints associated with functional genomic analysis can provide global and thorough insight into toxicity.

Mitigation of the impact of single-walled carbon nanotubes on a freshwater green algae: Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata

This study investigates the biological response of Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata to single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) suspended in gum Arabic (GA), using typical 96-hour algal bioassays and long-term growth studies. Changes in algal biomass and cell morphology associated with specific SWNT-treatments were monitored and the mechanisms of observed biological responses investigated through a combination of biochemical and spectroscopic methods. Results from short-term bioassays showed a growth inhibition in culture media containing >0.5 mg SWNT/L and a final GA concentration of 0.023% (v/v). Interestingly, the observed toxicity disappears when GA concentrations are brought to levels ≥ 0.046%. Long-term experiments based on toxic combination of SWNTs and GA showed that P. subcapitata would easily recover from an initial growth inhibition effect. Overall, these findings point to the possibility of GA to mitigate the toxicity of SWNTs, making it an ideal surfactant if SWNT suspension in GA does not alter the performance sought from these nanotubes.

Carbon nanotube-modified sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis for molecular weight determination of proteins

The effect of incorporating carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in the gel matrix on the electrophoretic mobility of proteins based on their molecular weight differences was investigated using sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE). More specifically, a reduction in standard deviation in the molecular weight calibration plots by 55% in the case of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and by 34% in the case of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) compared with that of pristine polyacrylamide gels was achieved after incorporating an insignificant amount of functionalized CNTs into the gel matrix. A mechanism based on a more uniform pore size distribution in CNT modified polyacrylamide gel matrix is proposed. Furthermore, the impact of SWCNTs and MWCNTs on the mobility of proteins in different molecular weight regimes at a given acrylamide concentration offers a tunable gel matrix in terms of the selection of molecular weight ranges of proteins. The robustness and excellent reproducibility of the CNT–PAGE protocol are expected to have a significant impact on the molecular weight determination of newly isolated proteins.

Toxic Effects of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes in the Development of E. coli Biofilm

The impact of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) on the different developmental stages of biofilms has been investigated using E. coli K12 as a model organism. Specifically, we investigated (i) the impact of SWNT concentration on cell growth and biofilm formation, (ii) toxic effects of SWNTs on mature biofilms, and (iii) formation of biofilm on SWNT-coated surfaces. The results show that at the initial stage of biofilm formation, SWNTs come into contact with bacterial cells prior to biofilm maturation and inhibit their growth. Furthermore, the results suggest that bacteria in mature biofilms are less sensitive to the presence of SWNTs than cells in other biofilm stages, similar to previous observations of biofilm resistance to antimicrobials. In mature biofilms, the soluble exopolymeric substances (EPS) secreted by the biofilm play an important role in mitigating the toxic effects of SWNTs. Upon exposure to SWNTs, biofilms without soluble EPS in the supernatant had a much more significant loss of biomass because of cell detachment from the biofilm than biofilms containing soluble EPS. To observe similar cell loss, biofilms with soluble EPS needed SWNT concentrations that were 10 times higher compared to biofilms without soluble EPS. Finally, SWNTs deposited onto surfaces affected significantly the subsequent biofilm development. Analysis of the total biomass and the area occupied by cells indicates that a SWNT-coated substratum has 10 times less biofilm colonization and biomass production than a control substratum without SWNTs.

Evaluation of the impact of single-walled carbon nanotubes in an activated sludge wastewater reactor

This paper evaluated the impact of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) on the performance and activated sludge properties in an activated sludge wastewater reactor. The reactor was shock loaded with 270 mg/L of 90% purified SWCNTs after the reactor reached quasi-steady state and the reactor was monitored for 18 days after the shock loading. Various experimental parameters were measured and compared. Overall the addition of SWCNTs did not negatively impact the performance of the activated sludge reactor; on the other hand, SWCNTs improved sludge settleability and sludge dewaterability. The cake solids of the sludge were increased and the activated sludge flocs became less negatively charged. The positive impacts were more significant in Phase II (after running the reactor for one solids retention time, SRT) than that in Phase III (after running for additional 1.5 SRT).