title: Nanoparticles with photoinduced precipitation for the extraction of pollutants from water and soil.
abstract: Nanotechnology may offer fast and effective solutions for environmental clean-up. Herein, amphiphilic diblock copolymers are used to develop a platform of photosensitive core-shell nanoparticles. Irradiation with ultraviolet light removes the protective layer responsible for colloidal stability; as a result, the nanoparticles are rapidly and irreversibly converted to macroscopic aggregates. The associated phase separation allows measuring the partitioning of small molecules between the aqueous phase and nanoparticles; data suggests that interactions are enhanced by decreasing the particle size. Adsorption onto nanoparticles can be exploited to efficiently remove hydrophobic pollutants from water and contaminated soil. Preliminary in vivo experiments suggest that treatment with photocleavable nanoparticles can significantly reduce the teratogenicity of bisphenol A, triclosan and 17α-ethinyl estradiol without generating obviously toxic byproducts. Small-scale pilot experiments on wastewater, thermal printing paper and contaminated soil demonstrate the applicability of the approach.
authors.affiliation: David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 500 Main Street, Building 76-661, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Ferdinand
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Brandl
authors.affiliation: David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 500 Main Street, Building 76-661, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bertrand
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Technology, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil.
authors.forename: Eliana Martins
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.affiliation: 1] David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 500 Main Street, Building 76-661, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA [2] Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, and Department of Chemical Engineering, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Langer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000633:toxicity; D011232:Chemical Precipitation; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian; D004997:Ethinyl Estradiol / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000633:toxicity; D009152:Mutagenicity Tests; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D010636:Phenols / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000633:toxicity; D010782:Photolysis; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014260:Triclosan / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000633:toxicity; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015027:Zebrafish; D000098826:Bisphenol A Compounds
chemical_list: D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D004997:Ethinyl Estradiol; D010636:Phenols; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D014260:Triclosan; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C006780:bisphenol A; D000098826:Bisphenol A Compounds