Staff directory
Lena Nerea Montaña Ernst
Visiting Doctoral Student
Vall d'Hebrón Institut de Recerca (VHIR)
lena.montana(ELIMINAR)@icn2.cat
Inorganic Nanoparticles
Publications
2022
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Nanoceria dissolution at acidic pH by breaking off the catalytic loop
Galyamin D., Ernst L.M., Fitó-Parera A., Mira-Vidal G., Bastús N.G., Sabaté N., Puntes V. Nanoscale; 14 (38): 14223 - 14230. 2022. 10.1039/d2nr03586c.
This manuscript proves the reproducibility and robustness of cerium oxide nanoparticles, nanoceria, employed as a chemical reagent with oxidizing capacity (as an electron sink) at acidic pH. Unlike nanoceria multi-enzyme-mimetic capabilities at neutral or high pH, nanoceria can behave as a stoichiometric reagent at low pH where insoluble Ce4+ ions transform into soluble Ce3+ in the nanocrystal that finally dissolves. This behaviour can be interpreted as enzyme-like when nanoceria is in excess with respect to the substrate. Under these conditions, the Ce3+/Ce4+ ratio in the NPs can easily be estimated by titration with ferrocyanide. This procedure could become a rapid assessment tool for evaluating nanoceria capacity in liquid environments.