FURI | Fall 2020

Engineering Safe Nanocomposite Materials: Role of Interactions Between Graphene Oxide-Silver Nanocomposite with Microcystis aeruginosa

Nanocomposites are the combination of multiple nanomaterials in a composite structure. Their great popularity has created a clear challenge in terms of nanosafety and risk assessment. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the toxicological effects to predict their potential health and environmental implications. Microcystis aeruginosa, freshwater cyanobacteria, was used to test a dose-response using concentrations from 0 to 100 µg/L of Graphene oxide- Silver nanoparticles to identify the effective concentration where 50% of the organisms display a change in growth (EC 50). Understanding these toxicological interactions will allow the design of safe criteria for the fabrication of nanotechnologies.