Uptake of iron nanoparticles by Aphanorrhegma patens (Hedw.) Lindb.

Iron nanoparticles were produced in a radiofrequency levitation furnace and their dimensions and purity determined by scanning electron microscopy and x-ray microanalysis. Confocal microscopy revealed that these particles penetrated the leaves of Aphanorrhegma when applied to the plants as mineral water suspensions. This, the first demonstration of nanoparticle uptake by a bryophyte, opens the way to nanotoxicological studies paralleling those in higher plants. The actual penetration mechanism in both groups remains unknown.