Over the last decade, extensive research has been completed on the potential threat single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) cause to living organisms upon release to environmental systems.  Most studies have focused on the effects of SWCNT length, diameter, and metallic impurities in traditional dose response assays.  However, very little work has been done attempting to elucidate differences in biological response of test organisms when exposed to type separated SWCNTs of different electronic structure, i.e., metallic (m-) or semiconducting (s-) SWCNTs.  A commonly used method to produce well separated fractions of these two SWCNT types is column-based, through interaction with agarose gels.  Our previous work describing the driving forces at play during separation, and the source of selectivity of the process has allowed us to create high purity fractions of both m-, and s-SWCNTs appropriate for use in eco-toxicity studies.Within, we describe our methods for the separation, purification, and stabilization of type separated SWCNTs to be used in traditional dose response studies.  Additionally, we report significant differences to the biological response of the test organism P. subcapitata when exposed to these isolated fractions of m- and s-SWCNTs.  Importantly, our results suggest that the observed toxicity of each species is influenced by a variety of factors including electronic type, surfactant concentration, and synthesis method.  Finally, we propose that hydrogel separation of SWCNTs has potential for development as a simple bench scale tool to predict SWCNT toxicity in natural systems.

Toxicological evaluation of electronically sorted single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTS) on the freshwater green algae: Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata

248th National Meeting (2014)

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