Nanogeoscience: From Origins to Cutting-Edge Applications

At first glance, nano and Earth seem about as far apart as one can imagine. Nanogeoscience seems to be a word connecting opposites. But to a growing number of Earth scientists, this term makes sense. Although relatively difficult to detect and study, natural nanomaterials are ubiquitous in nature. Their properties are often different (sometimes dramatically different) from those of the same material at a larger size. In many cases, larger equivalents do not even exist. By understanding natural nanomaterials, we can acquire another perspective from which to view Earth's chemical and physical properties. Important insights into local, regional, and even global phenomena await our understanding of processes that are relevant at the smallest scales of Earth science research.

[1]  K. Rosso,et al.  The proximity effect on semiconducting mineral surfaces: a new aspect of mineral surface reactivity and surface complexation theory? , 2001 .

[2]  D. Langmuir.  Particle size effect on the reaction goethite = hematite + water , 1971 .

[3]  Kouji Adachi,et al.  Nanoparticles in the Atmosphere , 2008 .

[4]  Chen Zhu,et al.  In situ feldspar dissolution rates in an aquifer , 2005 .

[5]  D. Sparks,et al.  Nanominerals, Mineral Nanoparticles, and Earth Systems , 2008, Science.

[6]  Yehuda Ben-Zion,et al.  Pulverized rocks in the Mojave section of the San Andreas Fault Zone , 2006 .

[7]  J. Banfield,et al.  TiO2 accessory minerals: coarsening, and transformation kinetics in pure and doped synthetic nanocrystalline materials , 1993 .

[8]  Robert Raiswell,et al.  Contributions from glacially derived sediment to the global iron (oxyhydr)oxide cycle : Implications for iron delivery to the oceans , 2006 .

[9]  G. Waychunas,et al.  Structure, chemistry, and properties of mineral nanoparticles , 2008 .

[10]  V. V. Tkachev,et al.  Colloid Transport of Plutonium in the Far-Field of the Mayak Production Association, Russia , 2006, Science.

[11]  M. Wells,et al.  The distribution of colloids in the North Atlantic and Southern Oceans , 1994 .

[12]  A. Navrotsky,et al.  Size-Driven Structural and Thermodynamic Complexity in Iron Oxides , 2008, Science.

[13]  James A. Davis,et al.  Newly recognized hosts for uranium in the Hanford Site vadose zone , 2009 .

[14]  P. Burnley,et al.  A new self-organizing mechanism for deep-focus earthquakes , 1989, Nature.

[15]  J. Banfield,et al.  Particle size effects on transformation kinetics and phase stability in nanocrystalline TiO2 , 1997 .

[16]  Benjamin Gilbert,et al.  Stable cluster formation in aqueous suspensions of iron oxyhydroxide nanoparticles. , 2006, Journal of colloid and interface science.

[17]  Richard V. Morris,et al.  Mineralogy, composition, and alteration of Mars Pathfinder rocks and soils: Evidence from multispectral, elemental, and magnetic data on terrestrial analogue, SNC meteorite, and Pathfinder samples , 2000 .

[18]  R. Raiswell,et al.  Chemical and physical characteristics of iron oxides in riverine and glacial meltwater sediments , 2005 .

[19]  Michael F Hochella,et al.  Aquatic environmental nanoparticles. , 2007, Journal of environmental monitoring : JEM.

[20]  K. Rosso,et al.  The Proximity Effect on Semiconducting Mineral Surfaces , 2001 .

[21]  M. Wells,et al.  Occurrence of small colloids in sea water , 1991, Nature.

[22]  J. Banfield,et al.  Compressibility of zinc sulfide nanoparticles , 2006 .

[23]  Guodong Yuan,et al.  Nanoparticles in the Soil Environment , 2008 .

[24]  M. Hassellöv,et al.  Iron Oxides as Geochemical Nanovectors for Metal Transport in Soil-River Systems , 2008 .

[25]  I. Chernyshova,et al.  Size-dependent structural transformations of hematite nanoparticles. 1. Phase transition. , 2007, Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP.

[26]  A. Putnis,et al.  Environmentally important, poorly crystalline Fe/Mn hydrous oxides: Ferrihydrite and a possibly new vernadite-like mineral from the Clark Fork River Superfund Complex , 2005 .

[27]  N. M. Price,et al.  Direct use of inorganic colloidal iron by marine mixotrophic phytoplankton , 2001 .

[28]  Kenneth L. Smith,et al.  Free-Drifting Icebergs: Hot Spots of Chemical and Biological Enrichment in the Weddell Sea , 2007, Science.

[29]  Yifeng Wang,et al.  Nanogeochemistry: Geochemical reactions and mass transfers in nanopores , 2003 .

[30]  D. Brownlee,et al.  Possible in situ formation of meteoritic nanodiamonds in the early Solar System , 2002, Nature.

[31]  Giulia Galli,et al.  Quantum confinement and fullerenelike surface reconstructions in nanodiamonds. , 2003, Physical review letters.

[32]  M. Arnold,et al.  Anomalien bei der Ablösung von KieselsÄure von der OberflÄche feinkörniger Siliziumdioxydpulver , 1961 .

[33]  B. Tebo,et al.  Biogenic Uraninite Nanoparticles and Their Importance for Uranium Remediation , 2008 .

[34]  P. Shen,et al.  TiO2 nanoparticle trails in garnet: implications of inclusion pressure‐induced microcracks and spontaneous metamorphic‐reaction healing during exhumation , 2007 .

[35]  David M. Cwiertny,et al.  Interpreting nanoscale size-effects in aggregated Fe-oxide suspensions: Reaction of Fe(II) with Goethite , 2008 .

[36]  J. Brune,et al.  Particle size and energetics of gouge from earthquake rupture zones , 2005, Nature.

[37]  Jillian F. Banfield,et al.  Enhanced adsorption of molecules on surfaces of nanocrystalline particles , 1999 .

[38]  Chen Zhu,et al.  Naturally weathered feldspar surfaces in the Navajo Sandstone aquifer, Black Mesa, Arizona : Electron microscopic characterization , 2006 .

[39]  R. Raiswell,et al.  The low-temperature geochemical cycle of iron: From continental fluxes to marine sediment deposition , 2002 .

[40]  Michael F. Hochella,et al.  Direct observation of heavy metal-mineral association from the Clark Fork River Superfund Complex: Implications for metal transport and bioavailability , 2005 .

[41]  J. Bridges,et al.  Nanodiamonds from AGB Stars: A New Type of Presolar Grain in Meteorites , 2006 .

[42]  K. Rosso,et al.  The interaction of pyrite {100} surfaces with O2 and H2O: Fundamental oxidation mechanisms , 1999 .

[43]  R. J. Reid,et al.  Mineralogic and compositional properties of Martian soil and dust: Results from Mars Pathfinder , 2000 .