Oxidative dissolution of polymer-coated CdSe/ZnS quantum dots under UV irradiation: Mechanisms and kinetics

Yang Li, Wen Zhang, Kungang Li, Ying Yao, Junfeng Niu, Yongsheng Chen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

56 Scopus citations

Abstract

To advance the knowledge of environmental fate of nanomaterials, we systematically investigated the dissolution of polymer-coated CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) under UV (254 nm) irradiation. The environmental effects (i.e., irradiation intensity, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and humic acid), as well as the coating effects on dissolution kinetics of QDs were investigated. Our results showed that higher irradiation intensity and temperature increased ion release rates (Cd 2+, SeO 4 2-, and Zn 2+), whereas the different polymer coatings varied the dissolution rates. The absence of dissolved oxygen inhibited the dissolution of QDs, and we further demonstrated that the dissolution was a photo-oxidative process involved superoxide radical formation. Humic acid had a twofold effect on dissolution due to its photosensitization and photoabsorption for UV irradiation. Finally, an empirical kinetic law was proposed to interpret the above environmental effects. This study lays groundwork to better understand the environmental fate of QDs.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)259-266
Number of pages8
JournalEnvironmental Pollution
Volume164
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2012
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Toxicology
  • Pollution
  • Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

Keywords

  • Dissolution
  • Kinetics
  • QDs
  • ROS
  • UV Irradiation

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