Event

Abstract: The unique properties of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) have enabled their increased use for a range of environmental, medicinal, and commercial applications. Owing to their unique antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are one of the most widely used ENMs, leading to their release into the environment during production, use, and disposal. Upon encountering environmental and biological systems, AgNPs form eco- and bio-coronas that can lead to subsequent physicochemical transformations of the AgNPs (e.g., aggregation, dissolution, oxidation, sulfidation, etc.) and which ultimately affect their biological fate, transport, and toxicity. To understand the impact of AgNPs on human and environmental health, quantitative analytical tools are needed to probe the complex reactivity of AgNPs in relevant matrices, which our group aims to address. Specifically, we have developed a suite of electrochemical techniques to monitor AgNP reactivity at the bulk and single nanoparticle scale. Separately, we have developed electrokinetic separation techniques using capillary electrophoresis to quantify interactions at the nano-bio interface. This talk will follow our “march towards environmental relevance” through the advancement of analytical techniques to probe increasingly complex nanoscale systems.

Bio: Dr. Kathryn Riley is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Swarthmore College. She received her Ph.D. from Wake Forest University in 2014 and was a National Research Council (NRC) postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) from 2015-2016. Before her current appointment, she was a Consortium for Faculty Diversity (CFD) postdoctoral fellow at Swarthmore from 2016-2018. Dr. Riley’s research involves the development of analytical techniques for the characterization of nanomaterials (NMs) and their dynamic physical and chemical transformations in biological and environmental matrices. Her research group specifically aims to broaden participation in the field by developing techniques that provide new quantitative insights in less time and at a reduced cost when compared to more commonly employed methods. Projects in her group span the analysis of engineered NMs (metal and metal oxide NMs, DNA nanostructures) and incidental NMs (nano and microplastics).

Research 

-In the Riley Lab, we are developing several analytical methods that will enable real-time monitoring of silver nanoparticle (AgNP) dissolution, aggregation, protein adsorption, and release from consumer products, like textiles. Owing to their antimicrobial properties, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are produced at a rate of 500 tons per year and occupy about 25% of the market of nanomaterial-containing products, representing an ENM of significant commercial importance.

https://rileylab.weebly.com/research.html

CANCELLED