After shaking, the oil and water in the vial separate, trapping unwanted nanomaterials in the bottom of the oil layer. Credit: Michigan Tech, Sarah Bird
Nano implies small – and that’s great for use in medical devices, beauty products and smartphones – but it’s also a problem. All these tiny particles get into our water and are difficult to remove. Now, researchers have a novel and very simple way to take the nanomaterials out. The tiny nanoparticles, nanowires, nanotubes and other nanomaterials that make up our technology eventually find their way into water. The Environmental Protection Agency says more 1,300 commercial products use some kind of nanomaterial. And we just don’t know the full impact on health and the environment.
Instead, shaking up oil and water traps the nanomaterials, which can be easily removed. The process clears out nearly 100% of nanowires, nanosheets, nanotubes and other 1D, 2D nanomaterials. Only 0-dimensional nanospheres are still too small to grab. Â Â http://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsami.5b07542
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-12/mtu-stn121015.php
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