Iranian researchers from Mashhad University of Medical Sciences proposed a simple, cost-effective and fast method to produce metal oxide nanoparticles, which is in agreement with the basics of green chemistry.
The use of cheap and biocompatible raw materials instead of hazardous and pollutant chemical solvents is among the advantages of the method.
The use of hazardous chemicals in the production of industrial, laboratorial and medical products is among one of the problems that threatens environment and human health. Therefore, it is a duty of the scientific societies to introduce and develop new synthetic methods based on the basics of green chemistry at laboratorial and industrial scale.
The advantages of the proposed method are simplicity of the production method, high efficiency and reaction rate, reduction in production costs and administration of the basics of green chemistry in the synthesis of cerium oxide nanoparticles, which finally results in the production of nanoparticles with appropriate size distribution.
Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles
Cerium oxide nanoparticles produced in this method are non-toxic and spherical with an average size of about 20 nm. These particles have applications in medical industries as antioxidant, healing of neural and spinal damages and sorbent of ultraviolet light, and in cosmetics in the production of sunburn lotions, production of gas sensors, fuel cells, shining materials and glass and ceramic industries.
Agarose, a natural and environmentally-friendly polymer, has been used for the first time in this research to control the growth of nanocrystals and their size distribution. Based on the desirable results, it is suggested that this polymer is used in the production of other metal oxide nanoparticles too.
Results of the research have been published in Ceramics International, vol. 41, issue 1, 2015, pp. 1589-1594.
