Abstract
As previously discussed in the granted proposal the micro-XRF facility will be used to map the roots, steam, leaves and seeds exposed to nanomaterials. Due to space resolution offered by the micro-XRF it will be possible to trace the specialized tissues where the nanomaterials are accumulated. Besides finding out the storage hotspots, it will be possible to estimate the concentration of nanomaterials. Since micro-XRF is a multi-elemental technique, the distribution of other essential macro and micronutrients will be as well evaluated. The combination of these two maps will allow investigating how the nanomaterials influence the plant's micro-metabolism; therefore it might help to understand why some nanomaterials are toxic whereas others promote the plant's growth. The micro-XRF facility will make possible to carry out bold experiments to in vivo monitor the absorption and metabolism of nanomaterials. This equipment will still be used as a high-throughput tool for quantitative analysis using Elisa wells or pellets; this approach is especially valuable in cases which only small amounts of sample are available. Thanks to its versatility the micro-XRF can be used by scientists working in several fields of knowledge such as soil sciences, materials science and biology among many others. This technique can produce chemical images in micrometric level for rocks, biologic tissues, coatings and materials micro morphology. It is worthy highlighting that micro-XRF is non-destructive, does not require vacuum and achieves detection limits much lower than those exhibited by SEM-EDX. This multi-user facility will be shared with other research groups as described in the management plan. (AU)
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