Erika Dutková

Hallmarks of mechanochemistry: from nanoparticles to technology

The aim of this review article on recent developments of mechanochemistry (nowadays established as a part of chemistry) is to provide a comprehensive overview of advances achieved in the field of atomistic processes, phase transformations, simple and multicomponent nanosystems and peculiarities of mechanochemical reactions. Industrial aspects with successful penetration into fields like materials engineering, heterogeneous catalysis and extractive metallurgy are also reviewed. The hallmarks of mechanochemistry include influencing reactivity of solids by the presence of solid-state defects, interphases and relaxation phenomena, enabling processes to take place under non-equilibrium conditions, creating a well-crystallized core of nanoparticles with disordered near-surface shell regions and performing simple dry time-convenient one-step syntheses. Underlying these hallmarks are technological consequences like preparing new nanomaterials with the desired properties or producing these materials in a reproducible way with high yield and under simple and easy operating conditions. The last but not least hallmark is enabling work under environmentally friendly and essentially waste-free conditions (822 references).

Leaching of Gold and Silver from Crushed Au-Ag Wastes

Au-Ag noble metal wastes represent a wide range of waste types and forms with various ballast elements and components. The thiourea process of gold and silver extraction from ores, concentrates or secondary raw materials con- sists of gold and silver leaching into the thiourea solution and the consequent precipitation of these metals from the solu- tion. Due to the non-toxic character of thiourea it is the perspective alternative to the up to now most frequently used cya- nide method. The thiourea leaching of gold and silver from electronic waste, goldsmiths waste and ceramic waste using crushing as the pretreatment step was investigated. For electronic waste, it was possible to achieve 97 % gold and 94 % silver recovery within 120 minutes of thiourea leaching. Up to 98 % of gold and 96 % of silver were recovered from gold- smiths waste after 60 minutes of leaching. In the case of ceramic waste, we achieved up to 98 % gold and 97 % silver ex- traction efficiency after only 45 minutes of leaching. In comparison with the classical cyanide leaching, thiourea leaching acts faster and without a harmful environmental impact.

Stability studies of As4S4 nanosuspension prepared by wet milling in Poloxamer 407

In this paper the stability of the arsenic sulfide (As4S4) nanosuspension prepared by wet milling in a circulation mill in the environment of copolymer Poloxamer 407 was studied. The obtained As4S4 particles in nanosuspension were of ∼ 100 nm in size. The influence of temperature and UV irradiation on the changes in physical and/or chemical properties was followed. Long-term stability was observed via particle size distribution and zeta potential measurements. Influence of UV irradiation was studied via UV-vis spectroscopy (UV-vis), photoluminicsence (PL) technique and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) measurements. The best stability of the nanosuspension (24 weeks) was achieved when stored at 4°C and in the dark.

PbS nanostructures synthesized via surfactant assisted mechanochemical route

PbS nanocrystals using surfactant assisted mechanochemical route has been successfully prepared. The methods of XRD, SEM, surface area and particle size measurements were used for nanocrystals characterization. The XRD patterns confirmed the presence of galena PbS (JCPDS 5–592) whatever treatment conditions were applied. The strong observable peaks indicate the highly crystalline nature in formation of PbS nanostructures where preferential crystal growth in the (200) direction after chelating agent (EDTANa2•2H2O) addition has been observed. The mean volume weighted crystallite size 4.9 nm and 35 nm has been calculated from XRD data using Williamson-Hall method for PbS synthesized without and/or with chelating agent, respectively corresponding with surface weighted crystallites sizes of 2.9 and 18.8 nm. The sample prepared without surfactant yields the smaller crystallites and the higher microstrain compared with surfactant assisted synthesis. The obtained results illustrate a possibility to manipulate crystal morphology by combining effect of milling and surfactant application.

CdS/ZnS nanocomposites: from mechanochemical synthesis to cytotoxicity issues.

CdS/ZnS nanocomposites have been prepared by a two-step solid-state mechanochemical synthesis. CdS has been prepared from cadmium acetate and sodium sulfide precursors in the first step. The obtained cubic CdS (hawleyite, JCPDS 00-010-0454) was then mixed in the second step with the cubic ZnS (sphalerite, JCPDS 00-005-0566) synthesized mechanochemically from the analogous precursors. The crystallite sizes of the new type CdS/ZnS nanocomposite, calculated based on the XRD data, were 3-4 nm for both phases. The synthesized nanoparticles have been further characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and micro-photoluminescence (μPL) spectroscopy. The PL emission peaks in the PL spectra are attributed to the recombination of holes/electrons in the nanocomposites occurring in depth associated with Cd, Zn vacancies and S interstitials. Their photocatalytic activity was also measured. In the photocatalytic activity tests to decolorize Methyl Orange dye aqueous solution, the process is faster and its effectivity is higher when using CdS/ZnS nanocomposite, compared to single phase CdS. Very low cytotoxic activity (high viability) of the cancer cell lines (selected as models of living cells) has been evidenced for CdS/ZnS in comparison with CdS alone. This fact is in a close relationship with Cd(II) ions dissolution tested in a physiological solution. The concentration of cadmium dissolved from CdS/ZnS nanocomposites with variable Cd:Zn ratio was 2.5-5.0 μg.mL(-1), whereas the concentration for pure CdS was much higher - 53 μg.ml(-1). The presence of ZnS in the nanocrystalline composite strongly reduced the release of cadmium into the physiological solution, which simulated the environment in the human body. The obtained CdS/ZnS quantum dots can serve as labeling media and co-agents in future anti-cancer drugs, because of their potential in theranostic applications.

Arsenic Sulphide As4S4 Nanoparticles: Physico-Chemical Properties and Anticancer Effects

In this study, arsenic sulphide As4S4 nanoparticles have been prepared, by high-energy wet milling, in the presence of sodium dodecylsulphate, which acts a surfactant. Solid state properties of the nanoparticles were characterised by XRD, Raman scattering, specific surface area and particle size distribution. Changes in surface areas of the particles, in the 0.2 - 5.4 m2 g-1 range, and nanosize distributions, in the 100 - 250 nm range, characterise the surface and morphological properties of nanorealgar. Raman scattering revealed various species in the milled sample that indicate a disproportionate reaction (3As4S4 → 4As2S3 + 4As) occurring as a consequence of milling. Anticancer effects, of the milled species, were confirmed for the human multiple myeloma U266 and OPM1 cell lines. Dissolution experiments in simulated gastric fluid show a possibility for the application of the realgar nanoparticles as an oral dose in future arsenic drug cancer treatments.

Chalcogenide mechanochemistry in materials science: insight into synthesis and applications (a review)

The aim of this paper on recent development in chalcogenide mechanochemistry is to provide a comprehensive review of advances achieved in the field of mechanochemical synthesis of nanocrystalline binary, ternary and quaternary chalcogenides and their nanocomposites. The synthetic approaches from elements and compounds are reviewed. The current focus of mechanochemical synthesis is on materials with potential utilization in future. In order to demonstrate the suitability of mechanochemically prepared chalcogenides for various applications, the concrete examples of the utilization of these materials in materials engineering, bioimaging and cancer treatment are provided. The possibility of scaling for industrial applications is also reviewed. The simplification of the synthesis processes with their reproducibility and easy way of operation, ecological safety and the product extraordinariness (nanoscale aspects) emphasizes the suitability of mechanochemistry application in chalcogenide synthesis.

Mechanochemically Synthesised ZnxCd1-xS Nanoparticles for Solar Energy Applications

The mechanochemical solid-state synthesis of ZnxCd1-xS nanoparticles from zinc acetate, cadmium acetate and sodium sulphide in a planetary laboratory mill is described. Through changing the molar ratio of the Zn and Cd precursors, ZnxCd1-xS nanoparticles of different composition were prepared. Structural, surface and morphological properties were investigated by XRD, XPS, SEM and UV-VIS. Diffusion structural diagnostics was characterised by the emanation thermal analysis (ETA) results measured on heating of the samples. The cubic phase was found to be stable under mechanochemical treatment, as determined by XRD. The mixed phases were found to have ideal solution behaviours. In addition, microstructural characterisation indicated that mechanochemical treatment resulted in a structural refinement with a surface weighted crystallite size about 2 nm. The additional information of microstructure development and transport properties of the samples on heating was obtained by ETA. The calculated lattice parameters of mixed crystals linearly depend on the composition of ZnxCd1-xS nanoparticles. The S(2p), Zn(2p) and Cd(3d) core levels of the ZnxCd1-xS nanocrystallites reveal two different types of sulphur, zinc and cadmium unlike bulk CdS and ZnS. The calculated results indicate that the quantum-size effect in the nanoparticles is not negligible. The differences in the absorption edge and the emission peak position of the nanoparticles depend not only composition. Applied high-energy milling is a facile, efficient, and scalable process that does not require a solvent and can be performed under ambient conditions. Therefore, it is a promising candidate for the production of nanocrystalline materials.

Mechanochemical approach for the capping of mixed core CdS/ZnS nanocrystals: Elimination of cadmium toxicity

The wet mechanochemical procedure for the capping of the CdS and CdS/ZnS quantum dot nanocrystals is reported. l-cysteine and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) were used as capping agents. When using l-cysteine, the dissolution of cadmium(II) was almost none for CdS/ZnS nanocrystals. Moreover, prepared CdS- and CdS/ZnS-cysteine nanosuspensions exhibited unimodal particle size distributions with very good stability, which was further supported by the zeta potential measurements. The Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy showed the successful embedment of cysteine into the structure of the nanocrystals. Additionally, the optical properties were examined, and the results showed that the cysteine nanosuspension has promising fluorescence properties. On the other hand, PVP was not determined to be a very suitable capping agent for the present system. In this case, the release of cadmium(II) was higher in comparison to the l-cysteine capped samples. The nanosuspensions were successfully used for in vitro studies on selected cancer cell lines. Using fluorescence microscopy, it was evidenced that the nanocrystals enter the cell and that they can serve as imaging agents in biomedical applications.

Preparation, properties and anticancer effects of mixed As4S4/ZnS nanoparticles capped by Poloxamer 407

Arsenic sulfide compounds have a long history of application in a traditional medicine. In recent years, realgar has been studied as a promising drug in cancer treatment. In this study, the arsenic sulfide (As4S4) nanoparticles combined with zinc sulfide (ZnS) ones in different molar ratio have been prepared by a simple mechanochemical route in a planetary mill. The successful synthesis and structural properties were confirmed and followed via X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy measurements. The morphology of the particles was studied via scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy methods and the presence of nanocrystallites was verified. For biological tests, the prepared As4S4/ZnS nanoparticles were further milled in a circulation mill in a water solution of Poloxamer 407 (0.5wt%), in order to cover the particles with this biocompatible copolymer and to obtain stable nanosuspensions with unimodal distribution. The average size of the particles in the nanosuspensions (~120nm) was determined by photon cross-correlation spectroscopy method. Stability of the nanosuspensions was determined via particle size distribution and zeta potential measurements, confirming no physico-chemical changes for several months. Interestingly, with the increasing amount of ZnS in the sample, the stability was improved. The anti-cancer effects were tested on two melanoma cell lines, A375 and Bowes, with promising results, confirming increased efficiency of the samples containing both As4S4 and ZnS nanocrystals.