title: Different effects of sonication pretreatment on carbon nanomaterials under low hydrogen peroxide concentrations.
abstract: Dispersing carbon nanomaterials with the aid of sonication has become a widely used procedure for generating homogenous solutions. A systematic study was performed to evaluate the effects of a practical sample preparation procedure that involves mild sonication with/without low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide is ubiquitously present in surface water and involved in advanced oxidation processes. Significant oxidation was observed for fullerene in the liquid phase, whereas an appreciable amount of hydrogen was covalently attached to the carbon cage of solid fullerene. Under the same conditions, only the removal of oxidized amorphous carbon was detected for carbon nanotubes. The presence of a low concentration of hydrogen peroxide during sonication exacerbated the effects. The changes in physicochemical properties were characterized quantitatively using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and elemental chemical analysis and qualitatively using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectroscopy,1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Our results highlight the effects that can occur during sample preparation step and the potential for misinterpreting the toxicity, reactivity and environmental fate of carbon nanomaterials.
authors: College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, Nankai University, Tianjin, China. Electronic address: zhangchengdong@nankai.edu.cn.
authors: Chengdong
authors: C
authors: Zhang
authors: College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.
authors: Xiaoyan
authors: X
authors: Chen
mesh_terms: D037741:Fullerenes / Q000737:chemistry; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000737:chemistry*; D006865:Hydrogenation; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D013010:Sonication
chemical_list: D037741:Fullerenes; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; C069837:fullerene C60
keywords: Carbon nanotubes; Fullerene; Hydrogen peroxide; Sonication