Tombolini Francesca, Boccuni Fabio, Ferrante Riccardo, Natale Claudio, Marasco Luigi, Mantero Elisa, Del Rio Castillo Antonio Esau, Leoncino Luca, Pellegrini Vittorio, Sabella Stefania, Iavicoli Sergio
Italian Workers' Compensation Authority-Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, Via Fontana Candida 1, I-00078 Rome, Italy.
Nanoscale. 2021 Feb 14;13(6):3841-3852. doi: 10.1039/d0nr07114e. Epub 2021 Feb 10.
Graphene is a one-atom-thick sheet of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb pattern and its unique and amazing properties make it suitable for a wide range of applications ranging from electronic devices to food packaging. However, the biocompatibility of graphene is dependent on the complex interplay of its several physical and chemical properties. The main aim of the present study is to highlight the importance of integrating different characterization techniques to describe the potential release of airborne graphene flakes in a graphene processing and production research laboratory. Specifically, the production and processing (i.e., drying) of few-layer graphene (FLG) through liquid-phase exfoliation of graphite are analysed by integrated characterization techniques. For this purpose, the exposure measurement strategy was based on the multi-metric tiered approach proposed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) via integrating high-frequency real-time measurements and personal sampling. Particle number concentration, average diameter and lung deposition surface area time series acquired in the worker's personal breathing zone (PBZ) were compared simultaneously to background measurements, showing the potential release of FLG. Then, electron microscopy techniques and Raman spectroscopy were applied to characterize particles collected by personal inertial impactors to investigate the morphology, chemical composition and crystal structure of rare airborne graphene flakes. The gathered information provides a valuable basis for improving risk management strategies in research and industrial laboratories.
石墨烯是由碳原子构成的单原子厚度薄片，呈蜂窝状排列，其独特且惊人的特性使其适用于从电子设备到食品包装等广泛的应用领域。然而，石墨烯的生物相容性取决于其多种物理和化学性质之间复杂的相互作用。本研究的主要目的是强调在石墨烯加工和生产研究实验室中，整合不同表征技术以描述空气中石墨烯薄片潜在释放情况的重要性。具体而言，通过综合表征技术分析了通过石墨的液相剥离法生产和加工（即干燥）少层石墨烯（FLG）的过程。为此，暴露测量策略基于经济合作与发展组织（OECD）提出的多指标分层方法，通过整合高频实时测量和个人采样。将在工人个人呼吸区（PBZ）获取的颗粒数浓度、平均直径和肺部沉积表面积时间序列与背景测量同时进行比较，显示出FLG的潜在释放。然后，应用电子显微镜技术和拉曼光谱对通过个人惯性撞击器收集的颗粒进行表征，以研究罕见的空气中石墨烯薄片的形态、化学成分和晶体结构。所收集的信息为改进研究和工业实验室中的风险管理策略提供了有价值的基础。
