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Dissolution of silver nanoparticles in colloidal consumer products: effects of particle size and capping agent

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Abstract

The utilization of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in consumer products has significantly increased in recent years, primarily due to their antimicrobial properties. Increased use of AgNPs has raised ecological concerns. Once released into an aquatic environment, AgNPs may undergo oxidative dissolution leading to the generation of toxic Ag+. Therefore, it is critical to investigate the ecotoxicological potential of AgNPs and determine the physicochemical parameters that control their dissolution in aquatic environments. We have investigated the dissolution trends of aqueous colloidal AgNPs in five products, marketed as dietary supplements and surface sanitizers. The dissolution trends of AgNPs in studied products were compared with the dissolution trends of AgNPs in well-characterized laboratory-synthesized nanomaterials: citrate-coated AgNPs, polyvinylpyrrolidone-coated AgNPs, and branched polyethyleneimine-coated AgNPs. The characterization of the studied AgNPs included particle size, anion content, metal content, silver speciation, and capping agent identification. There were small differences in the dissolved masses of Ag+ between products, but we did not observe any significant differences in the dissolution trends obtained for deionized water and tap water. The decrease of the dissolved mass of Ag+ in tap water could be due to the reaction between Ag+ and Cl−, forming AgCl and affecting their dissolution. We observed a rapid initial Ag+ release and particle size decrease for all AgNP suspensions due to the desorption of Ag+ from the nanoparticles surfaces. The observed differences in dissolution trends between AgNPs in products and laboratory-synthesized AgNPs could be caused by variances in capping agent, particle size, and total AgNP surface area in suspensions.

AgNP consumer products were mixed with tap water and their physicochemical transformations were monitored through various instrumental methods. After comparison with lab-synthesized AgNPs, the consumer products with more varied matrices were found to behave unpredictably during usage scenarios.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported in part by a PhD research grant from the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (Grant No. 1582014) by providing stipend to Mr. Radwan and by appointments in the Research Participation Program at the Office of Research and Development (ORD), EPA administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (92431601). This manuscript was subjected to EPA internal reviews and quality assurance approval. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Funding

This research was funded and conducted by the National Risk Management Research Laboratory of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Cincinnati, Ohio, under the CSS program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Engineering and Science Program, Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering (ChEE), University of Cincinnati, 2600 Clifton Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, 45221-001, USA

    Islam M. Radwan & Dionysios D. Dionysiou

  2. Marine Chemistry Department, Environmental Division, National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Qayet-Bey, Al-Anfoushy, Alexandria, 21556, Egypt

    Islam M. Radwan

  3. Pegasus Technical Services, Inc., 46 E. Hollister, St. Cincinnati, OH, 45219, USA

    Alireza Gitipour

  4. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, 5995 Center Hill Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, 45224, USA

    Phillip M. Potter

  5. National Risk Management Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 26 W. Martin Luther King Dr., Cincinnati, OH, 45268, USA

    Souhail R. Al-Abed

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  1. Islam M. Radwan
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  2. Alireza Gitipour
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  5. Souhail R. Al-Abed
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Correspondence to Souhail R. Al-Abed.

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Radwan, I.M., Gitipour, A., Potter, P.M. et al. Dissolution of silver nanoparticles in colloidal consumer products: effects of particle size and capping agent. J Nanopart Res 21, 155 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-019-4597-z

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