Effect of carbon nanotubes on plant growth and gas exchange using Arabidopsis thaliana

Abstract

There has been increasing interest in the biological and biomedical applications of carbon nanotube. We addressed the novel question: Are pure CNTs produced for distribution to manufacturers "toxic" to plants through their effects on physiological processes? We germinated and grew Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings on basal salt medium in Petri plates with or without pure CNTs and polyhydroxy fullerenes [C60(OH)24] and determined the biomass and also effects of an aged CNTs on chlorophyll fluorescence. We found that photosynthesis, stomatal conducatance or transpiration in Arabidopsis thaliana grown in CNTs was significantly reduced compared to controls and positive controls. Carbon gain was reduced by 15% in plants grown in CNTs versus control plants. The carbon dioxide compensation point was significantly higher in CNT grown plants than control plants. Dry weight was not significantly affected in CNTs or control plants and the dry weight of plants grown in aged CNTs were significantly lower than control plants. A significant reduction in chlorophyll fluorescence (11% reduction) between plants grown in aged CNTs versus control media. The pure CNTs we examined appear to not be "toxic" to plants at the whole plant level.

Department(s)

Biology

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Keywords

Arabidopsis thaliana, Carbon naotubes, Gas exchange, Photosynthesis

Publication Date

1-1-2014

Journal Title

Technical Proceedings of the 2014 NSTI Nanotechnology Conference and Expo, NSTI-Nanotech 2014

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