Chemically modified 2D materials can act as toxic blades for aquatic organisms
Olomouc, September 23, 2019. Researchers from the Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials (RCPTM), Palacký University Olomouc, in collaboration with colleagues from the Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS), shed light on the potential negative impact of carbon nanomaterials on the microorganisms present in aqueous environments. They confirmed that in certain conditions, chemically modified graphene can change into “nano-blades” which harm algae in water. However, it was found that these unicellular organisms can build, over time, an effective defence against such mechanical attacks, making them capable of dealing with them. The results of the study were published in the journal Carbon.1