Photochemical behavior of carbon nanotubes in natural waters: reactive oxygen species production and effects on •OH generation by Suwannee River fulvic acid, nitrate, and Fe (III).

The photochemical activities of three kinds of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were investigated in the present study. Efficient procedures of dispersing the three kinds of carbon nanotubes in water were established, and the quantitative analysis methods were also developed by TOC-absorbance method. High pH value or low ionic strength of the colloidal solutions facilitated the dispersion of CNTs. The suspensions of three kinds of CNTs could generate singlet oxygen (1O2) and hydroxyl radical (•OH) under irradiation of simulated sunlight, while superoxide radical (O2 •−) was not detected. The steady-state concentrations of 1O2 and •OH generated by these CNTs were also determined. The presence of CNTs in natural waters can affect the photochemical behavior of water constituents, such as nitrate, dissolved organic matter, and Fe3+. Specifically, in nitrate solution, the presence of CNTs could inhibit the generation of •OH by nitrate through light screening effect, while the quenching effect of hydroxyl radicals by CNTs was not observed. Besides light screening effect, the three kinds of CNTs used in the experiments also have a strong inhibiting effect on the ability of DOM to produce •OH by binding to the active sites. Moreover, the adsorption of Fe3+ on MWCNT-OH and MWCNT-COOH could lead to its inactivation of formation of •OH in acidic conditions. However, the presence of the three kinds of CNTs did not affect the ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) reaction of DOM-Fe (III) complex.