Project Sponsor: Natural Environment Research Council Facility for Environmental Nanoparticle Analysis and Characterisation (FENAC)

Title: Testing nanoparticle physicochemistry to validate the Nanoparticle Standardized Chamber for Aqueous Phase Ecotoxicology (Nano-SCAPE) test

Principal Investigators: Drs. Ted Henry, Teresa Fernandes

Project period: 2014-2015

Abstract: Investigating NP ecotoxicity requires preparation of reproducible homogeneous exposure conditions.  We have designed a standardized chamber that maintains homogenous aqueous phase dispersions of metal NPs [total metals concentrations maintained over 96 hours (a typical exposure duration for fish early life stage ecotoxicity tests)], and have demonstrated reproducible results of NP toxicity in larval zebrafish.  We call the system Nano-SCAPE.  We propose to use FENAC to characterize physicochemistry of selected NPs in the Nano-SCAPE system under operational conditions.  Our objective is to evaluate whether physicochemistry of four particles (Au-NP, Ag-NP, TiO₂-NP, and nanoplastic) changes over 96 hours.