Assessing silver nanoparticles behaviour in artificial seawater by mean of AF4 and spICP-MS

• Alginate coating increases the negative potential of AgNP.
• AgNP are strongly destabilized by the presence of salts in solution.
• Both DOM molecules tested show protective effect over AgNP agglomeration in ASW.
• DOM strongly protects AgNP for 1 h although the effect remains over 40 h incubation.

The use of nanotechnology-based products is constantly increasing and there are concerns about the fate and effect on the aquatic environment of antimicrobial products such as silver nanoparticles. By combining different characterization techniques (asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation, single particle ICP-MS, UV–Vis) we show that it is possible to assess in detail the agglomeration process of silver nanoparticles in artificial seawater. In particular we show that the presence of alginate or humic acid differentially affects the kinetic of the agglomeration process. This study provides an experimental methodology for the in-depth analysis of the fate and behaviour of silver nanoparticles in the aquatic environment.