Nanoparticles based decontamination

At rush-hour on a Friday evening in January, a half-dozen improvised chemical devices (ICD) detonate in subway stations in Washington, DC. They produce a hazardous of cyanogen chloride, which dissipates very quickly and affects only a few riders. Nonetheless, placement in crowds with limited egress results In a worried well syndrome of those exposed and over 5,000 citizens demand treatment. A nanoparticle-based cream is distributed that serves as a non-toxic topical decontaminant. The devices, easily constructed from commercially-available materials, are readily-concealable and blend in with their surroundings. This takes place in the world of 1.000 Points of Gravness. 

Other uses of nanostructured chromophores may include fluorescent nanoparticles or nanoparticle-based porous materials that change their light absorption or emission when a toxin is encountered. Some metal oxides and POMs already exhibit such properties. Likewise, electrochemical properties, including induced photocurrents, could be sensitive to encountering a toxin. Clearly, both decontamination and detection are relevant aspects here. Basic research is needed on the design and synthesis of engineered nanostructures whose electronic structures, thermal catalytic, photophysical (emission), and photocatalytic properties are strongly perturbed by the presence or absence of toxic compounds. 

Great efforts have been made in order to replace established but harmful, corrosive, and therefore, obsolete decontamination media for chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial chemicals. Chapter 14 by Hellweg and coworkers discusses the considerable advantages of microemulsion-based decontamination systems with respect to practical boundary conditions and fundamental principles of microemulsion formation. Additionally, the authors illustrate the further development to versatile, environmentally compatible and nonharmful systems containing nanoparticles and enzymes as active components. 

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