Research

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Research

SNO’s research is distinguished by a focus on both nanotechnology applications and implications  and also on sustainability. Regarding the latter, SNO adheres to the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals and keeps these in mind as research progresses. Conference presenters are instructed to include in their scientific abstract how their research fits In with sustainability. This sustainability statement increases awareness and helps direct nanotechnology research toward a more sustainable future.

Research supporting

Goal 2 Zero Hunger

Tracking Microplastics and Their Associated Chemical Additives in Plant Tissues: A Pyrolysis GC-MS Approach to Identification, Quantification, and Translocation Mechanism
Sarah A. Alotaibi; Gaddi B. Eshun; Omowunmi A. Sadik ACS Omega 2026, 11, 8, 13137–13148

The accumulation and subsequent uptake of micro/nanoplastics (MP, 100 nm–5 mm), along with their associated chemical additives, within edible plant systems pose significant threats. Precisely quantifying MPs remains a considerable analytical challenge, complicated by their propensity to concentrate contaminants and their capacity to translocate from the root system to aerial tissues via as-yet-uncompletely understood mechanisms. Thus, reliable methods are required to identify MPs and chemical additives in plants. This work reports a sample preparation technique for quantifying polystyrene (PS) and related chemical additives in basil (Ocimum basilicum) plants using pyrolysis gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS). Employing an acid digestion method, PS MPs were effectively extracted from basil plant samples and analyzed by a multishot Py GC-MS technique. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was utilized to meticulously characterize the size and shape of the recovered MPs. Chemical additive identification was facilitated using an Agilent mass spectral library. Calibration curves for MPs quantification were generated using the standard addition method. Polystyrene was reliably detected and quantified via its characteristic pyrolytic indicator peaks of the styrene trimer (m/z 91–312), which matched the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) library. The limits of detection (LODs) for PS, utilizing the styrene trimer (m/z 91–312) as the quantifier ion, were determined to be 0.9, 0.3, and 0.7 μg/g in roots, shoots, and leaves, respectively. Corresponding limits of quantification (LOQs) were established at 3.0, 1.1, and 2.2 μg/g for roots, shoots, and leaves. The percent recovery of MPs across different plant tissues ranged from 64.8 to 96.0%, with relative standard deviations (RSDs) consistently below 6.9%, indicating good method precision. The observed translocation of MPs from roots to shoots was mechanistically attributed to the establishment of a concentration gradient, facilitating passive transport. This study offers novel insights toward the establishment of a standardized operating protocol for accurately quantifying low concentrations of micro/nanoplastics within complex plant matrices.
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.5c08234

From Plants to Plants: Plant-Derived Biological Polymers as Sustainable and Safe Nanocarriers for Direct Delivery of DNA to Plant Cells
Kari Vinzant ; Mohammad Rashid ; Delaney E. Clouse; Pratyusha Ghosh; Mohiuddin Quadir; Virginia A. Davis; Mariya V. Khodakovskaya Nano Lett. (2025) 25 (14): 5572–5581

Sustainable plant-derived biopolymers cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and Zein protein were used to deliver plasmid DNA with a reporter GFP gene (pDNA) to plant cells. CNC and Zein were modified with the cationic agent 2,3-epoxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride (EPTMAC) to electrostatically bind the biopolymers to negatively charged pDNA. Established pDNA-CNC and pDNA-Zeins conjugates were delivered to tobacco cells by leaf injection and vacuum infiltration of tobacco leaves and seedlings. Both methods effectively provided transient GFP expression in exposed plant cells that was visualized by confocal microscopy and confirmed by qRT-PCR (GFP gene expression) and Western blot (GFP protein expression). Our findings support the idea that nanopolymers derived from agricultural waste residues can successfully be used to advance plant transformation and gene editing. Delivering genetic material using biocompatible, plant-based nanopolymers in large-scale vacuum infiltration of plant tissues reduces existing limitations of plant transformation and increases the speed of the transformation process.
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c05489

Goal 3 Good Health and Well-being

Preclinical efficacy and safety of novel SNAT against SARS-CoV-2 using a hamster model
Lok R. Pokhrel, Frank Williams, Paul P. Cook, Dorcas O’Rourke, Gina Murray & Shaw M. Akula
Springer Nature Volume 12, pages 3007–3016 (2022)

To address the unprecedented global public health crisis due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), we designed and developed a novel antiviral nano-drug, called SNAT (Smart Nano-Enabled Antiviral Therapeutic), comprised of taxoid (Tx)-decorated amino (NH2)-functionalized near-atomic size positively charged silver nanoparticles (Tx–[NH2-AgNPs]) that are stable for over 3 years. Using a hamster model, we tested the preclinical efficacy of inhaled SNAT on the body weight, virus titer, and histopathology of lungs in SARS-CoV-2-infected hamsters, including biocompatibility in human lung epithelium and dermal fibroblasts using lactase dehydrogenase (LDH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) assays. Our results showed SNAT could effectively reverse the body weight loss, reduce the virus load in oral swabs, and improve lung health in hamsters. Furthermore, LDH assay showed SNAT is noncytotoxic, and MDA assay demonstrated SNAT to be an antioxidant, potentially quenching lipid peroxidation, in both the human cells. Overall, these promising pilot preclinical findings suggest SNAT as a novel, safer antiviral drug lead against SARS-CoV-2 infection and may find applications as a platform technology against other respiratory viruses of epidemic and pandemic potential.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13346-022-01166-x)

Goal 3 Good Health and Well-Being and Goal 9 Industry, innovation and Infrastructure

The manufacturing process and consequent occupational health and environmental risks associated with the use of plastic waste in construction bricks in small-scale recycling plants.
Swinnerton S, Kurtz K, Nforsoh SN, Craver V, Tsai C.J Clean Prod. 2024 Oct 20;477:143818.

The rapid escalation of plastic production has prompted researchers to seek innovative and sustainable methods for recycling plastic waste to prevent its accumulation in landfills and mitigate its adverse effects on the environment and human health. One way is by incorporating plastic waste into construction materials. This study imparts a review on the application of plastic waste in the production of construction bricks through mechanical recycling processes, with a specific focus on compiling information on the manufacturing process as well as identifying potential emissions, occupational health hazards, and environmental risks. Through a review of 100 existing empirical studies, including those available in open-access journals specifically relevant to the study’s focus, it became evident that there is limited research investigating the emissions, occupational health impacts, and environmental risks associated with the production of bricks from plastic waste. Due to this information gap, the study extrapolated health risks and environmental impacts from comparable mechanical recycling processes. Our findings indicated that the manufacturing process, which consists of plastic collection, sorting, washing, drying, shredding, melting or extrusion, cooling, and molding, is likely to emit several air pollutants, including but not limited to heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds. Individuals involved in the production of plastic-waste bricks likely face a heightened risk of adverse health outcomes, particularly in settings where appropriate safety measures and control mechanisms are lacking. While the scientific literature currently offers a limited examination of the environmental impacts stemming from these pollutants, the research identified significant concerns related to microplastic presence in wastewater and heavy metal contamination in nearby soil and sediments. This study recommends that small-scale recycling operations mandate the use of personal protective equipment, implement adequate control strategies such as general and local ventilation systems, and prioritize the recycling of plastics known to pose minimal risks to human health. There is a pressing need for further research to accurately characterize the emissions produced during the manufacturing process and to comprehensively evaluate the consequent health and environmental hazards.
doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.143818

Goal 6 Clean Water and Sanitation

Rational design of a dummy-imprinted nanoplatform for ultrasensitive and leakage-free headspace-electrochemical detection of 2-MIB
Li, Z.; Tripathi, A.; Tian, Y.; Gao, J.; Zhou, J.; Xie, X.
Environ. Sci. Nano 2026, 13 (5), 2350–2363.

The accumulation of taste and odor (T&O) metabolites, particularly 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB), poses persistent challenges to drinking water security. Conventional reliance on centralized chromatography creates logistical bottlenecks that impede real-time decision-making. Herein, we report an integrated headspace-electrochemical nanoplatform (IHEN) utilizing a high-fidelity “dummy” template strategy for rapid on-site detection. Guided by a multi-scale computational screening protocol involving topological similarity analysis and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, 2-ethylfenchol (2-EF) was rationally selected as a cost-effective, isostructural analog to create precise recognition cavities. This approach significantly enhances analytical fidelity by distinguishing signal responses from potential template residues, while the integrated headspace configuration ensures a physically leakage-free detection process that protects the original sample matrix from secondary contamination. The sensing interface integrates a dummy-imprinted polymer with a gold nanoparticle (AuNP) and graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanocomposite scaffold, which synergistically amplifies electron transfer kinetics and vapor-phase capture efficiency. The resulting sensor achieves an ultralow limit of detection (LOD) of ∼96 pg L−1, far surpassing human sensory thresholds. Validated by excellent recovery in natural waters, this portable, cost-effective paradigm enables decentralized monitoring for the proactive management of T&O events in water treatment facilities. https://doi.org/10.1039/d6en00099a

Assessing willingness to pay for a solar-powered desalination device in Moroccan rural communities under climate change
Youssouf EL Idrissi, Jie He, Martin Désilets, Nadi Braidy Gervais Soucy, Mohamed Benabbou, Hasna Mharzi, Zouhir Said, Ibrahim Ounouss, Zakia Raisi, Wen Ma, Mounia EL Haji
Journal of Environmental Management
Volume 398, 15 January 2026, 128565

Climate change is affecting the global water cycle, leading to a growing imbalance between drinking water demand and supply in many countries, particularly developing countries such as Morocco. Therefore, several innovative technological solutions are emerging to support safe water access. Understanding the adoption of these solutions, however, requires assessing the willingness to pay (WTP) of respondents and the factors shaping their decisions. This study was conducted among rural populations in Morocco in 2024 to estimate their WTP for a solar-powered, portable desalination device currently under development in a research lab. The contingent valuation method questionnaire with closed-ended dichotomous choice WTP questions was administrated to 446 respondents in four rural regions. Results show that income, education, and bid price are the most significant determinants of WTP. Objective water quality measures and subjective perceptions have a limited effect in baseline models but become more relevant once regional interactions are introduced, revealing notable disparities between regions. Furthermore, including people's answers collected with expanding payment options in follow-up questions substantially increases reported WTP, from 1.9 kMAD to 6.4 kMAD and finally to between 17.9 kMAD, indicating that rural households' WTP is substantially limited by their income and the necessity for the government to consider providing relevant public subsidies.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.128565

Brine management with zero and minimal liquid discharge
Tong, T.*, Xu, L., Horseman, T., Westerhoff, P., Xu, P., Yao, Y., Zhang, X., Alghanayem, R., and Lin, S.* (2025) Brine management with zero and minimal liquid discharge. Nature Reviews Clean Technology, 1, 185–200.

Abstract: Zero liquid discharge (ZLD) and minimal liquid discharge (MLD) are brine management approaches that aim to reduce the environmental impacts of brine discharge and recover water for reuse. ZLD maximizes water recovery and avoids the needs for brine disposal, but is expensive and energy-intensive. MLD (which reduces the brine volume and recovers some water) has been proposed as a practical and cost-effective alternative to ZLD, but brine disposal is needed. In this Review, we examine the concepts, technologies and industrial applications of ZLD and MLD. These brine management strategies have current and potential applications in the desalination, energy, mining and semiconductor industries, all of which produce large volumes of brine. Brine concentration and crystallization in ZLD and MLD often rely on mechanical vapour compression and thermal crystallizers, which are effective but energy-intensive. Novel engineered systems for brine volume reduction and crystallization are under active development to achieve MLD and/or ZLD. These emerging systems, such as membrane distillation, electrodialytic crystallization and solvent extraction desalination, still face challenges to outcompete mechanical vapour compression and thermal crystallizers, underscoring the critical need to maximize the full potential of reverse osmosis to attain ultrahigh water recovery. Brine valorization has potential to partially offset the cost of ZLD and MLD, provided that resource recovery can be integrated into treatment trains economically and in accordance with regulations.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44359-025-00036-2

Goal 7 Affordable and clean energy and Goal 6 Clean water and sanitation

Photothermal Carbon Black Nanoparticles Coating Increases Scaling Resistance in Solar Membrane Distillation

Bellier, M., Ali, M.E.A., Abo El Fadl, M., Perreault, F.  ACS ES&T Water, 4, 5925-5932 2024
Self-heating membranes show promise for off-grid solar membrane distillation (MD). High scaling resistance was indicated in solar MD systems when only driven by the self-heating surface due to the low bulk feedwater temperature. However, low temperatures also result in low permeate flux compared to conventionally heated MD systems. To identify the trade-off between high flux and scaling resistance, we investigated the effect of an increasing feed temperature (Tfeed) on permeate flux and scaling resistance in MD. Increasing Tfeed between 30 and 70 °C while maintaining a constant distillate temperature of 20 °C confirmed that higher Tfeed increases permeate flux but also results in an earlier flux decline caused by higher membrane scaling. Similar findings were obtained when a self-heating layer was used; however, the self-heating layer in solar MD also resulted in a lower flux decline despite the high feedwater temperature. This effect is attributed to an increase in the hydrophilicity of the heated layer compared to the pristine membrane, which is hypothesized to reduce the deposition of scaling precursors on the surface. These findings indicate benefits beyond flux improvement for self-heating MD membranes when used in challenging waters rich in inorganic scaling species.
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.4c00882

Goal 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Surface Chemistry of Biologically Active Reducible Oxide Nanozymes
Craig J. Neal, Elayaraja Kolanthai, Fei Wei, Melanie Coathup, and Sudipta Seal Adv. Mater. 2023, 2211261

Abstract: Reducible metal oxide nanozymes (rNZs) are a subject of intense recent interest due to their catalytic nature, ease of synthesis, and complex surface character. Such materials contain surface sites which facilitate enzyme-mimetic reactions via substrate coordination and redox cycling.Further, these surface reactive sites are shown to be highly sensitive to stresses within the nanomaterial lattice, the physicochemical environment, and to processing conditions occurring as part of their syntheses. When administered in vivo, a complex protein corona binds to the surface, redefining its biological identity and subsequent interactions within the biological system. Catalytic activities of rNZs each deliver a differing impact on protein corona formation, its composition, and in turn, their recognition, and internalization by host cells. Improving the understanding of the precise principles that dominate rNZ surface-biomolecule adsorption raises the question of whether designer rNZs can be engineered to prevent corona formation, or indeed to produce “custom” protein coronas applied either in vitro, and preadministration, or formed immediately upon their exposure to body fluids. Here, fundamental surface chemistry processes and their implications in rNZ material performance are considered. In particular, material structures which inform component adsorption from the application environment, including substrates for enzyme-mimetic reactions are discussed.
DOI: 10.1002/adma.202211261

Modeling-driven materials by design for conjugated polymers: insights into optoelectronic, conformational, and thermomechanical properties.
Li, Z., Tolba, S. A., Wang, Y., Alesadi, A., & Xia, W. Chemical Communications, 60(82), 11625–11641 (2024)

Conjugated polymers (CPs) have emerged as pivotal functional materials in the realm of flexible electronics and optoelectronic devices due to their unique blend of mechanical flexibility, solution processability, and tunable optoelectronic properties. This review synthesizes the latest molecular simulation-driven insights obtained from various multiscale modeling techniques, including quantum mechanics (QM), all-atomistic (AA) molecular dynamics (MD), coarse-grained (CG) modeling, and machine learning (ML), to elucidate the optoelectronic, structural, and thermomechanical properties of CPs. By integrating findings from our recent computational work with key experimental studies, we highlight the molecular mechanisms influencing the multifunctional performance of CPs. This comprehensive understanding aims to guide future research directions and applications in the modeling assisted design of high-performance CP-based materials and devices.