Materials World Network: Designer Nanodiamonds for Detoxification Donald.W. Brenner, North Carolina State University, D

1. Materials World Network: Designer Nanodiamonds for DetoxificationDonald.W. Brenner, North Carolina State University, DMR 0602906 • A research team from NC State, the International Technology Center in North Carolina, and the Institute of Biophysics in Russiaare producing hydrosols of nanometer-sized carbon particles with the goal of using them to remove mold toxins from animal feed. • Removing these toxins from the food chain is a world-wide problem, but is especially critical in developing countries where disposing of suspect feed is often impractical. • Structures being studied include nanodiamonds, nanohorns and onion-like carbon • We have established that hydrosols of nanodiamond are bio-compatible and stable under a wide range of pH, properties that are critical for their use in living animals. • Agglomerate sizes of nanodiamonds as small as 75nm have been produced, yielding the possibility of very large surface areas for adsorption. • Of the structures studied, thus far nanohorns have demonstrated the largest capacity for adsorption of a propidium iodine dye, which is a surrogate for aflatoxin. Illustration of a nanohorn Model of aflotoxin chemically and physically bound to a nanodiamond particle

2. Materials World Network: Designer Nanodiamonds for DetoxificationDonald W. Brenner, North Carolina State University, DMR 0602906 • Education: • A major goal of the World Materials Network is to raise the international awareness of U.S. graduate students by giving them opportunities for exposure to research outside of the U.S. • In August 2007 two graduate students supported by our grant, Ms. Natalie Gibson and Mr. Zach Fitzgerald, attended a meeting in the Altay Region of Russia with our Russian partners and one of our U.S. industrial collaborators. • The “Nanocarbon & Nanodiamond 2007” Joint International workshop, which was supported by the NATO Science for Peace and the CRDF, was held to gain an understanding of current research being conducted in the nanodiamond and nanocarbon fields. • Talks were presented both in Russian and English, with ample opportunities for informal discussions between Russian and the U.S. graduate students. • The two U.S. students presented three talks: • Adsorption by Nanocarbon Materials • Nanodiamond Colloid Stability and Behavior through Titration and Zeta Potential Studies • Modeling of Aflatoxin Adsorption to Nanodiamonds Our Russian collaborators, A. Puzyr, Konstantin Purtov (graduate student) , and Dr. Sc. V. Bondar, our U.S. Industry Partner Dr. Shenderova, and Ms. Natalie Gibson and Mr. Zach Fitzgerald, U.S. Graduate Students, at the meeting.

3. Materials World Network: Designer Nanodiamonds for DetoxificationDonald W. Brenner, North Carolina State University, DMR 0602906 • Broader Impact: • Toxins and carcinogens in animal feed introduced by molds remains a major health threat throughout the world. This threat is especially keen in developing countries, where food shortages make disposing of potentially moldy feed impractical. • While enterosorbents based on clay additives are effective for common mycotoxins, efforts to produce clays that selectively bind less common mold toxins have not produced materials with similar efficacy. • Our studies on nanocarbon sols are providing a completely new and novel set of enterosorbents that can be made in bulk quantities, and that in principle have surface structures that can be tuned to bind specific toxins while minimizing harmful side effects. • Our ability to size-select nanodiamond clusters allows us to tune whether clusters can enter a living cell. Taken together, these materials provide a powerful new tool for ensuring safe food supplies worldwide. A laboratory mouse being fed a nanodiamond-glucose suspension.