Unravelling Iron Oxide Nanoparticles (IONPs) interactions in the environment

International audienceEither used as nano-carriers in blood, depolluting agents in groundwaters or nanofertilizers in soils engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) are prone to a growing interest that explains their multiple uses as well as their increasing industrial production. The very small size of ENPs (having at least one space dimension <100nm) gives rise to some exceptional physicochemical properties that ensue from their high reactivity. In environmental and agricultural fields, where iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) are particularly used, this reactivity is directly related to their adsorption capacity, which is of prime interest regarding soil contamination and soil recovery issues. Considering the peculiar role of copper (Cu) in soils, we investigated the specific relationships that exist between IONPs and Cu. Most particularly, this study aims at understanding how pH, Cu concentration and Fe3O4-NPs natural coatings drive Cu adsorption to IONPs. In a primary step, eight nm-sized Fe3O4-NPs were synthesized using a co-precipitation method and thoroughly characterized with TEM, XRD, FT-IR and BET while in a second stage Cu-adsorption tests were conducted through ultrafiltrations (