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Inter-transformation between silver nanoparticles and Ag+ induced by humic acid under light or dark conditions

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A Correction to this article was published on 13 April 2021

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Abstract

The fate and toxicity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and ions in water bodies is largely determined by the natural organic matter (NOM)-mediated redox cycling. However, the process of NOM-mediated redox cycling in the day/night cycles remains elusive. In this study, the inter-transformation between AgNPs and Ag+ ion caused by humic acid (HA) was investigated under controlled light and dark conditions. It was shown that HA induced the reduction of Ag+ into AgNPs in simulated sunlight, and also oxidize AgNPs to release Ag+ in darkness. Kinetics data demonstrated that the rates of AgNPs formation and dissolution increased along with the increment of HA concentrations. Along with the pH increase, the reduction of Ag+ accelerated, but the oxidative dissolution of AgNPs was inhibited. In day-night cycles, the AgNPs and Ag+ concentrations exhibited similar wave-shaped change curves. The peaks of AgNPs and Ag+ ion appeared at 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., respectively. The toxicity of AgNPs/Ag+ to Escherichia coli was determined primarily by the concentration of dissolved Ag+, but also affected by the particle-specific toxicity. The dual role of HA implied that previous reports about the photo-reduction of Ag+ to AgNPs by NOM should be reconsidered, and the oxidizability of HA in darkness strongly affect the transformation and toxicity of AgNPs in water.

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Acknowledgements

The Science and Technology Planning Project of Hunan Province (Grant No. 2019RS2036); the Changsha Plan Project of Science and Technology (Grant No. kq1801025); and the Hunan Engineering Technology Research Centre for Irrigation Water Purification.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Soil and Fertilizer Institute of Hunan Province, Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 401125, Changsha, China

    Yujia Liu, Chao Li & Haiyong Wu

  2. College of Resources and Environment, Hunan Agricultural University, 410128, Changsha, China

    Yujia Liu, Si Luo & Xi Wang

  3. Hunan Provincial Environmental Protection Air Compound Pollution Prevention Engineering Technology Center, Hunan Research Academy of Environmental Science, 410004, Changsha, China

    Qingmei Zhang

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  1. Yujia Liu
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  2. Chao Li
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  3. Si Luo
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Correspondence to Qingmei Zhang or Haiyong Wu.

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Liu, Y., Li, C., Luo, S. et al. Inter-transformation between silver nanoparticles and Ag+ induced by humic acid under light or dark conditions. Ecotoxicology 30, 1376–1385 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-020-02284-3

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