Biomedical materials made of cobalt-chromium-molybdenum (CoCrMo) alloys are commonly used in artificial prostheses and dental implants, which are exposed to friction and load. The release of Co, Cr, and Mo from these surfaces is governed by physical and chemical processes. The extent of measured metal release from biomedical CoCrMo alloys into mixed protein solutions may be influenced by protein aggregation and metal precipitation effects. Metal release from, and the surface composition of, a CoCrMo alloy was investigated in physiological relevant solutions (phosphate buffered saline, PBS, with varying concentrations of fibrinogen from bovine plasma and/or bovine serum albumin) at pH 7.3 in static and sliding conditions for time periods between 1 and 24 h. Cr was strongly enriched in the surface oxide of CoCrMo in all solutions, which corresponded to metal release dominated by Co. PBS and the proteins could induce significant precipitation of metals and protein aggregates, which resulted in strongly underestimated released amounts of Co and Cr, but not Mo, especially under sliding conditions. Protein aggregates were found to precipitate on the surface of CoCrMo under static conditions. The friction coefficient was greater in PBS containing physiologically relevant concentrations of fibrinogen as compared to PBS alone. 

Pure metallic Co, Ni, and their bimetallic compositions of Co3Ni, CoNi, and CoNi3 nanomaterials were prepared by solution combustion synthesis. Microstructure, phase composition, and crystalline structure of these nanoparticles (NPs) were characterized along with studies of their corrosion and dissolution properties in synthetic freshwater with and without natural organic matter (NOM). The nanomaterials consisted of aggregates of fine NPs (3-30 nm) of almost pure metallic and bimetallic crystal phases with a thin surface oxide covered by a thin carbon shell. The nanomaterials were characterized by BET surface areas ranging from similar to 1 to 8 m(2)/g for the Ni and Co NPs, to 22.93 m(2)/g, 14.86 m(2)/g, and 10.53 m(2)/g for the Co3Ni, CoNi, CoNi3 NPs, respectively. More Co and Ni were released from the bimetallic NPs compared with the pure metals although their corrosion current densities were lower. In contrast to findings for the pure metal NPs, the presence of NOM increased the release of Co and Ni from the bimetallic NPs in freshwater compared to freshwater only even though its presence reduced the corrosion rate (current density). It was shown that the properties of the bimetallic nanomaterials were influenced by multiple factors such as their composition, including carbon shell, type of surface oxides, and the entropy of mixing.

Gold (Au) nanoparticles (NPs) are widely used in nanomedical applications as a carrier for molecules designed for different functionalities. Previous findings suggested that biological molecules, including amino acids, could contribute to the dissolution of Au NPs in physiological environments and that this phenomenon was size-dependent. We, therefore, investigated the interactions of L-cysteine with 5-nm Au NPs by means of time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). This was achieved by loading Au NPs on a clean aluminum (Al) foil and immersing it in an aqueous solution containing L-cysteine. Upon rinsing off the excessive cysteine molecules, ToF-SIMS confirmed the formation of gold cysteine thiolate via the detection of not only the Au-S bond but also the hydrogenated gold cysteine thiolate molecular ion. The presence of NaCl or a 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid buffer disabled the detection of Au NPs on the Al foil. The detection of larger (50-nm) Au NPs was possible but resulted in weaker cysteine and gold signals, and no detected gold cysteine thiolate signals. Nano-gold specific adsorption of L-cysteine was also demonstrated by cyclic voltammetry using paraffine-impregnated graphite electrodes with deposited Au NPs. We demonstrate that the superior chemical selectivity and surface sensitivity of ToF-SIMS, via detection of elemental and molecular species, provide a unique ability to identify the adsorption of cysteine and formation of gold-cysteine bonds on Au NPs.

Welders are daily exposed to various levels of welding fumes containing several metals. This exposure can lead to an increased risk for different health effects which serves as a driving force to develop new methods that generate less toxic fumes. The aim of this study was to explore the role of released metals for welding particle-induced toxicity and to test the hypothesis that a reduction of Cr(VI) in welding fumes results in less toxicity by comparing the welding fume particles of optimized Cr(VI)-reduced flux-cored wires (FCWs) to standard FCWs. The welding particles were thoroughly characterized, and toxicity (cell viability, DNA damage and inflammation) was assessed following exposure to welding particles as well as their released metal fraction using cultured human bronchial epithelial cells (HBEC-3kt, 5-100 mu g/mL) and human monocyte-derived macrophages (THP-1, 10-50 mu g/mL). The results showed that all Cr was released as Cr(VI) for welding particles generated using standard FCWs whereas only minor levels (< 3% of total Cr) were released from the newly developed FCWs. Furthermore, the new FCWs were considerably less cytotoxic and did not cause any DNA damage in the doses tested. For the standard FCWs, the Cr(VI) released in cell media seemed to explain a large part of the cytotoxicity and DNA damage. In contrast, all particles caused rather similar inflammatory effects suggesting different underlying mechanisms. Taken together, this study suggests a potential benefit of substituting standard FCWs with Cr(VI)-reduced wires to achieve less toxic welding fumes and thus reduced risks for welders.

Spent vanadium catalysts of sulfuric acid production (main elemental composition in wt%: 7.5 V, 9.1 K, 10.2 S, 23.2 Si and 1.4 Fe) can be used as a secondary source of vanadium. Extraction of vanadium was studied using two-step leaching (acidic and reductive) of spent vanadium catalysts with further oxidizing of leaching solutions. The factors leaching and hydrolysis temperature, concentration of leaching (H2SO4, Na2SO3) and oxidizing ((NH4)(2)S2O8) reagents, solid/liquid ratio, mixing parameters, and time of leaching and thermohydrolysis were systematically investigated. The solubility of V2O5 was investigated as a function of temperature, pH of sulfuric acid solutions, and concentration of Na2SO3. The kinetics of V2O5 solubility and reduction were also studied. The vanadium leaching yield after a two-step recovery was 98 wt% after acidic (H2SO4, pH 1.2-1.3) leaching with ultrasonic treatment for 5 min at ambient temperature, followed by reductive leaching in 0.01 Mol/L Na2SO3 solution for 15 min at ambient temperature. The highest vanadium extraction yield from leaching solutions was 98 wt% obtained through oxidizing of leaching solutions by 30 wt%. (NH4)(2)S2O8 with a molar ratio n(V2O5)/n ((NH4)(2)S2O8) of 5/1 for a reaction time of 5 min at 80-90 degrees C. the extracted vanadium product was V2O5 with a purity of 85-87 wt%. The technological scheme has been developed to recycle all obtained products and subproducts

Welding fume particles are hazardous. Their toxicity likely depends on their composition and reactivity. This study aimed at exploring the role of sodium or other fluorides (NaF), which are intentionally added to flux-cored wire electrodes for stainless steel welding, on the solubility (in phosphate buffered saline) and toxicity of the generated welding fume particles. A multi-analytical particle characterization approach along with in-vitro cell assays was undertaken. The release of Cr(VI) and Mn from the particles was tested as a function of fluoride solution concentration. The welding fume particles containing NaF released significantly higher amounts of Cr (VI) compared with solid wire reference fumes, which was associated with increased cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in-vitro. No crystalline Na or potassium (K) containing chromates were observed. Cr(VI) was incorporated in an amorphous mixed oxide. Solution-added fluorides did not increase the solubility of Cr(VI), but contributed to a reduced Mn release from both solid and flux-cored wire fume particles and the reduction of Cr (VI) release from solid wire fume particles. Chemical speciation modeling suggested that metal fluoride complexes were not formed. The presence of NaF in the welding electrodes did not have any direct, but possibly an indirect, role in the Cr(VI) solubility of welding fumes.

Surface disinfection of water facilities such as water wells requires measures that can remove pathogens from the walls to ensure a high drinking water quality, but many of these measures might increase corrosion of the contact surfaces (often highly pure steel) and affect the environment negatively due to disinfectant-contaminated waste sludge and wastewater. Today, most treatments worldwide are based on hypochlorites. We investigated the extent of corrosion during treatments of steel at relevant conditions of ozone, sodium, and calcium hypochlorite for drinking water preparation, utilizing weight loss, electrochemical, solution analytical, and surface analytical methods. The ozone treatment caused significantly less corrosion as compared with sodium or calcium hypochlorite with 150–250 mg/L active chlorine. Hypochlorite or other chlorine-containing compounds were trapped in corrosion products after the surface disinfection treatment with hypochlorite, and this risked influencing subsequent corrosion after the surface disinfection treatment. A life cycle impact assessment suggested ozone treatment to have the lowest negative effects on human health, ecosystems, and resources. Calcium hypochlorite showed the highest negative environmental impact due to its production phase. Our study suggests that ozone surface disinfection treatments are preferable as compared with hypochlorite treatments from corrosion, economic, and environmental perspectives.

Graphene (G) and metal-decorated G nanocomposites are among the most promising materials for a wide variety of practical applications, and, therefore, the development of fast and reliable methods for nanocomposite synthesis is an important task. Herein we report the new fast approach for solution combustion synthesis (SCS) of large-area G-metallic nanocomposites in an air atmosphere. The G-based nanocomposites were obtained by a SCS using copper and nickel nitrates, as well as their stoichiometric mixture as the metal source and citric acid as a fuel and carbon source. The G structures started on the catalytic surface of freshly synthesized metallic nanograins during the combustion process and formed large-area free-standing films due to the high-energy and fast synthesis process. We proposed a mechanism of formation of the G-based nanocomposites. The phase compositions, structural features, and magnetization behavior of G@Cu, GgNi, and G@CuNi nanocomposites are carefully studied and described. G@metal nanocomposites were studied as a material for the creation of a highly effective sensing element of semiconductor gas sensors.

Corrosion of transport tanks for transporting aggressive liquids is undesirable from both economic, safety, and sustainability perspectives. It is thereby not only important to consider the composition of the aggressive liquids to be transported and the material of the tank, but also the composition of the cleaning liquids and procedures. Triggered by an industrial case, we investigated the extent of corrosion during cleaning treatments and simulated contact with transported fluids at relevant conditions. Corrosion of stainless steel AISI 316L was investigated in commercial latex remover liquid, 90 wt% acetic acid, two different car shampoos, and solution of potassium hydroxide at room temperature. After electrochemical, solution analytical, and surface analytical analysis of the transporter tank material and some of the transported and cleaning fluids, we found that even a short time of use of non-licensed latex remover liquid could trigger a self-sustaining mechanism for pitting corrosion of stainless steel AISI 316L.