Acid-base and adsorption properties of the AlOOH 2D nanostructures as factors for regulating parameters of model biological solutions

Abstract

We have studied the acid-base, adsorption, and electrokinetic properties of 2D nanostructures—agglomerates of pseudoboehmite (AlOOH) nanosheets 2–5 nm in thickness—that were synthesized from electro-explosive Al/AlN nanopowder. By the example of adsorption of anionic dye eosin and cationic dye methylene blue, it is found that the synthesized nanostructures have pronounced anion-exchange properties. It is shown that agglomerates of AlOOH nanosheets exhibit properties of a weak base when they are added to the biological model solutions (cell-culture medium and sodium phosphate buffer) and deionized water; in this case, an increase in pH in the media takes place both due to the release of the OH groups and the ionexchange adsorption. The possible impact of the synthesized AlOOH 2D nanostructures on the suppression of tumor-cell proliferation is considered via changes in the parameters (acidity and ionic composition) of their microenvironment.