Rapid degradation of zinc oxide nanoparticles by phosphate ions

• Rudolf Herrmann,
• F. Javier García-García and
• Armin Reller

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2007–2015, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.209

• nanoparticles are highly sensitive towards phosphate ions even at pH 7. Buffer solutions and cell culture media containing phosphate ions are able to destroy ZnO nanoparticles within a time span from less than one hour to one day. The driving force of the reaction is the formation of zinc phosphate of very low

• account when assessing the biological effects or the toxicology of zinc oxide nanoparticles. Keywords: degradation; phosphate; silica shell; zinc oxide nanoparticles; zinc phosphate; Introduction Crystalline nanoparticles of the semiconductor zinc oxide (ZnO-NP) show a broad fluorescence band in the

• that zinc oxide can react with phosphoric acid to form various zinc phosphates which have applications, e.g., as dental cement [2]. Zinc phosphate can also be used as corrosion inhibitor for metals as it forms a protecting layer on metal surfaces [3]. This usage is possible because of the low