Coating of cerium oxide nanoparticles with different carbohydrates and their application on plants

Abstract

Cerium oxide nanoparticles (nCeO2) are nanomaterial with various applications in biomedicine, electronics and cosmetics. The aim of this research was to improve their low suspension stability by coating with carbohydrates - glucose, levan, and pullulan. The coating was performed at different temperatures and coating times, by adding the carbohydrates during or after the synthesis of nCeO2. Characterization of nanoparticles’ powders was performed by X-Ray diffraction analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Nanoparticles’ suspension stability was estimated by measuring of zeta potential, hydrodynamic size and turbidity. The difference among coated nCeO2 have been confirmed with FT-IR spectra. The results showed improved stability of the nCeO2 suspension and decreased size of aggregates after carbohydrate coating. Levan- and glucose-coated nCeO2 suspensions showed the best stability. The obtained nCeO2 were used for the investigation of their ecotoxicity on different plant species.