Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/M009947/1
Single particle ICP-MS applications in nanomaterial safety
Training Grant Award
- Lead Supervisor:
- Professor E Valsami-Jones, University of Birmingham, Sch of Geography, Earth & Env Sciences
- Grant held at:
- University of Birmingham, Sch of Geography, Earth & Env Sciences
- Science Area:
- Atmospheric
- Earth
- Freshwater
- Marine
- Terrestrial
- Overall Classification:
- Atmospheric
- ENRIs:
- Environmental Risks and Hazards
- Natural Resource Management
- Pollution and Waste
- Science Topics:
- Particle Technology
- Materials Characterisation
- Assess/Remediate Contamination
- Ecotoxicology
- Pollution
- Abstract:
- Nanotechnology presents society with incredible opportunities, in the form of novel materials and processes, applicable to energy capture and storage, climate change mitigation, water treatment, biomedical applications and many more. Analysts expect the value of the nanomaterials market to reach hundreds of billions of Euros by 2015. However, the novelty of nanomaterials also brings significant challenges due to the potential of these materials to present unknown and unforeseen behaviour and toxicity to humans and biota. A key challenge in assessing the potential environmental impact of nanomaterials involves their tracing and characterisation, particularly in environmental matrices. The proposed project will contribute to the solution of this problem, by developing single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SPICP-MS), a newly developed analytical method uniquely capable of measuring both chemical (composition) and physical (particle size and number) characteristics of nanomaterials. SP-ICP-MS is an extremely novel method, which has emerged in the past five years, and although robust, it is currently only tested with a small number of nanomaterials. Further development will expand and augment the capability of SP-ICPMS and transform it into a powerful analytical tool for assessing and potentially monitoring, nanomaterials in real environmental matrices. The novelty of the proposed work will stem from attempting to trace and characterise nanoparticles in complex forms (i.e. within cells and surrounded by a protein corona) and to identify the effect of particle shape and surface modification to their traceability. Comparisons with other quantification methods, such as field flow fractionation, dynamic light scattering and nanoparticle tracking analysis will also be made. The findings will underpin future regulation of nanomaterials, by enabling their fuller and better tracing and characterisation. It will be particularly important in enabling implementation of the European Commission's new definition of nanomaterials, which involves not only particle size but also number of particles within a given size range. The partners in this project are the University of Birmingham (UoB) and PerkinElmer Ltd (PE). UoB is a research-focussed university, with an established reputation in nanosafety research; for example, UoB host the Facility for Environmental Nanoscience Analysis and Characterisation, a NERC funded facility, supporting the UK research community's nanocharacterisation needs. PE are leaders in instrumentation and pioneers of SP-ICP-MS. Three academic (UoB) and two non-academic (PE) supervisors, all with extensive research expertise and significant supervisory abilities, will ensure an excellent learning and training environment for the student, who will be selected using academic excellence as the key criterion. Extensive academic training in a strong interdisciplinary environment at UoB and applied training with plenty of hands-on opportunities at PE will be offered to the student, whose full engagement in the structure of the team, academic or commercial, will enable a thorough integration in operational aspects of both facilities.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/M009947/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- DTG - directed
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Industrial CASE
This training grant award has a total value of £85,122
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - Fees | Total - RTSG | Total - Student Stipend |
|---|---|---|
| £16,587 | £11,000 | £57,538 |
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