Tracking the environmental or biological distribution of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) is a major analytical challenge; this is not only due to their small size, but also because their physicochemical properties are commonly indistinguishable from those of their natural analogues. Furthermore, nanomaterials are highly affected by their surroundings, transforming chemically, agglomerating, and/or acquiring an evolving coating of environmental or biological macromolecules. These processes may provide nanomaterials with a new identity, distinct from their initial “synthetic” identity, which compromises detection and tracing of the transformation products. Recent work has produced a variety of labeling methods beyond standard fluorescent labeling, involving enrichment in an element, or isotope that confers a unique signature on an ENM, thus enabling us to assign a source and track their distribution, from nano to global scale.
The field is still expanding, both in terms of the novelty of labeling approaches as well as their applications. We hope to bring together significant research that advances the techniques for tracing ENMs in the environment and biological surroundings which will enable a better understanding of the environmental and biological behavior. This will, additionally, improve our ability to ensure safe applications involving ENMs, at all stages of their life cycle.
In this Research Topic, we welcome Original Research and Review articles, as well as Perspectives/Opinions on the labeling of nanomaterials. We particularly encourage work that shows how the label enables a better understanding of nanomaterial behaviour in biological or environmental processes. This Research Topic will mainly focus on, but not limited to, the following subtopics:
• Stable isotope labeling;
• Fluorescent tracers;
• Radioactive isotope labeling;
• Trace element labeling;
• Nucleic acid labeling.
Tracking the environmental or biological distribution of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) is a major analytical challenge; this is not only due to their small size, but also because their physicochemical properties are commonly indistinguishable from those of their natural analogues. Furthermore, nanomaterials are highly affected by their surroundings, transforming chemically, agglomerating, and/or acquiring an evolving coating of environmental or biological macromolecules. These processes may provide nanomaterials with a new identity, distinct from their initial “synthetic” identity, which compromises detection and tracing of the transformation products. Recent work has produced a variety of labeling methods beyond standard fluorescent labeling, involving enrichment in an element, or isotope that confers a unique signature on an ENM, thus enabling us to assign a source and track their distribution, from nano to global scale.
The field is still expanding, both in terms of the novelty of labeling approaches as well as their applications. We hope to bring together significant research that advances the techniques for tracing ENMs in the environment and biological surroundings which will enable a better understanding of the environmental and biological behavior. This will, additionally, improve our ability to ensure safe applications involving ENMs, at all stages of their life cycle.
In this Research Topic, we welcome Original Research and Review articles, as well as Perspectives/Opinions on the labeling of nanomaterials. We particularly encourage work that shows how the label enables a better understanding of nanomaterial behaviour in biological or environmental processes. This Research Topic will mainly focus on, but not limited to, the following subtopics:
• Stable isotope labeling;
• Fluorescent tracers;
• Radioactive isotope labeling;
• Trace element labeling;
• Nucleic acid labeling.
