The role of attached phase soil and sediment organic matter physicochemical properties on fullerene (nC60) attachment

• C60 attachment onto humic and fulvic acid was explored.
• Humic and fulvic acid layers were thermally analyzed using QCM-D.
• The layers both hindered and enhanced C60 attachment, depending on temperature.
• Attachment appeared to be a function of layer hydration.
• Possible mechanisms and implications of these findings were discussed.

Attached phase soil and sediment organic matter is ubiquitous in the subsurface environment, with a tendency to strongly sorb contaminants, and therefore it may play an important role in contaminant transport. In this study, the deposition of C60 nanoparticles onto attached phase Harpeth Humic Acid and Harpeth Fulvic Acid (HHA and HFA) is explored by using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring and systematically varying thermal energy. By comparing the C60 attachment onto HHA and HFA surfaces to that of bare silica and DLVO predictions, we find that the HHA and HFA layers hinder attachment at low temperatures, while HHA enhances attachment at higher temperatures. Based on thermal characterization of the HHA and HFA layers compared to the corresponding attachment trends, the attachment efficiency is strongly correlated with hydration of the layer. Possible mechanisms explaining this phenomenon include water-assisted disruption of polar SOM contacts and hydration-induced swelling of the AP-SOM matrix. Since humic substances typically dominate subsurface organic matter, these results may prove crucial to understanding the complex interactions of engineered nanomaterials in both the natural and engineered environment.