US – Page 44 – TechConnect Briefs

Environmental Life Cycle Assessment for a Carbon Nanotube-Based Printed Electronic Sensor Platform

Chappell M.A., Shih W-S, Bledsoe J.K., Cox C., Janzen D., Gibbons S., Patel R., Kennedy A.J., Brame J., Brondum M., Diamond S.A., Coleman J., Edwards D., Steevens J.A., U.S. Army Engineer Research & Development Center, US

Here, we describe efforts to characterize the potential environmental impact associated with the manufacture of a newly developed printed electronic temperature sensor using environmental life cycle assessment (Eco-LCA). The sensor is composed of a specialized [...]

Performance and Aging of Graphene Oxide/Polyurethane Nanocomposites

Goodwin Jr. D.G., Bernard C., Stanley D., Nguyen T., Sung L., National Institute of Standards and Technology, US

Graphene oxide (GO) can be used to enhance the properties and extend the service life of polymer nanocomposites (PNCs). GO is a good nanofiller candidate for water-borne polyurethane (WBPU) coatings since GO has outstanding physicochemical [...]

Developing a rapid screening method for direct visualization of nanoparticles captured on filter media during occupational exposure assessments

Neu-Baker N.M., Eastlake A.C., Brenner S.A., SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Colleges of Nanoscale Science & Engineering (CNSE), US

As engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) are increasingly incorporated into manufacturing processes and consumer goods, the nanotechnology workforce is also growing, with 6 million workers anticipated by 2020, of which 2 million are projected to work in [...]

Health and Safety Screening of Advanced Materials: A User Interface for Test Design Selection and Documentation

Kennedy A.J., Brame J., Wood M., Rycroft T., Poda A., Diamond S., Chappell M., Shih W-S, Panchal V., US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, US

The novel properties of advanced materials (AdMs), including nanomaterials (NMs), offer opportunities to improve conventional materials and create new material applications. However, these same properties may place AdMs into a high risk prioritization category within [...]

Quantifying release of nano- and advanced materials

Brame J., Poda A., Alberts E., Jackson C., Kennedy A., US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, US

The same unique properties of Manufactured Nanomaterials (MNs) and Advanced Materials (AMs) that make them desirable for new product applications may also increase their environmental health and safety (EHS) uncertainty , leading to high risk [...]

Developing a fundamental understanding of polymer nanocomposite photodegradation and CNT release characteristics

Lankone R.S., Wang J., Ranville J.F., Fairbrother D.H., John's Hopkins University, US

As the development, production, and use of polymer nanocomposites continues to rise, so too does the likelihood for exposure of their embedded nanoparticles to humans and the environment following nanoparticle release. The release of carbon [...]

Nanomaterials in Food and Food Contact Substances – Hazards, Risks and Regulation

Cohen J., Gradient, US

The increasing number and variety of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) used in food and food contact materials raise concerns regarding potential hazards and risks to human health. ENMs are used for a wide variety of applications [...]

Nanotechnology Regulation Implementation in Industry

Taylor A.A., Freeman E.L., Exponent, Inc., US

Nanotechnology is a fast growing industry with increasing applications in consumer, industrial, pharmaceutical, and personal care products. One issue facing the nanotechnology sector is that current chemical regulations focus on single chemical substances and do [...]

An integrated methodology across the dispersion preparation-characterization-in vitro dosimetry continuum for engineered nanomaterials

Cohen J., DeLoid G., Pirela S., Pyrgiotakis G., Demokritou P., Harvard School of Public Health, US

Evidence continues to grow of the importance of in vitro and in vivo dosimetry in the hazard assessment and ranking of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs). Accurate dose metrics are particularly important for in vitro cellular screening [...]

Protecting the nanotechnology workforce: a new protocol for characterization of filter-captured nanomaterials from occupational exposure assessments

Neu-Baker N., Smith D., Segrave A., Beach J., Zurbenko I., Dunn K., Brenner S., SUNY Polytechnic Institute Colleges of Nanoscale Science & Engineering, US

The nanotechnology workforce is growing along with the rapid commercialization of nanotechnology, with an estimated 6 million workers by 2020;1 however, risk assessment for nanotechnology workers is still in its infancy because occupational exposure assessment [...]