Application of neutron activation for investigation of Fe3O4 nanoparticles accumulation by plants

As a result of the rapid development of nanotechnology and increasing application of nanoproducts in many areas of everyday life, there is a growing risk of production of nanowastes potentially dangerous for the environment. This makes it necessary to investigate the accumulation and toxicity of nanoparticles (NPs) at different trophic levels. In the studies neutron activation was applied for the investigation of iron (II,III) oxide nanoparticle (Fe3O4-NPs) accumulation by Lepidium sativum and Pisum sativum L. Plants were cultivated on growth medium contaminated with different concentrations (0.01-10 mmolźL-1) of Fe3O4-NPs. For the identification of the presence of Fe3O4-NPs in plant tissues gamma spectrometry following iron oxide (II,III) nanoparticles irradiation was applied. Both plant species were found to accumulate iron (II,III) oxide nanoparticles. The highest content of NPs was found in plant roots, reaching 40 g/kg for Pisum sativum L. More than 90% of accumulated NPs were found in roots. Accumulation of Fe3O4-NPs was found to depend on the concentration of nanostructures in the growth medium. The transfer factor for Lepidium sativum roots and shoots and Pisum sativum L. shoots decreased with increasing NP concentration in the medium; for Pisum sativum L. roots the tendency was reversed. Neutron activation of nanoparticles was shown to be a powerful tool for tracing the environmental fate of NPs and their uptake and accumulation in organisms.