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Viscoelastic gels of guar and xanthan gum mixtures provide long-term stabilization of iron micro- and nanoparticles

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Abstract

Iron micro- and nanoparticles used for groundwater remediation and medical applications are prone to fast aggregation and sedimentation. Diluted single biopolymer water solutions of guar gum (GG) or xanthan gum (XG) can stabilize these particles for few hours providing steric repulsion and by increasing the viscosity of the suspension. The goal of the study is to demonstrate that amending GG solutions with small amounts of XG (XG/GG weight ratio 1:19; 3 g/L of total biopolymer concentration) can significantly improve the capability of the biopolymer to stabilize highly concentrated iron micro- and nanoparticle suspensions. The synergistic effect between GG and XG generates a viscoelastic gel that can maintain 20 g/L iron particles suspended for over 24 h. This is attributed to (i) an increase in the static viscosity, (ii) a combined polymer structure the yield stress of which contrasts the downward stress exerted by the iron particles, and (iii) the adsorption of the polymers to the iron surface having an anchoring effect on the particles. The XG/GG viscoelastic gel is characterized by a marked shear thinning behavior. This property, coupled with the low biopolymer concentration, determines small viscosity values at high shear rates, facilitating the injection in porous media. Furthermore, the thermosensitivity of the soft elastic polymeric network promotes higher stability and longer storage times at low temperatures and rapid decrease of viscosity at higher temperatures. This feature can be exploited in order to improve the flowability and the delivery of the suspensions to the target as well as to effectively tune and control the release of the iron particles.

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Abbreviations

ZVI:

Zero-valent iron

NZVI:

Nanoscale zero-valent iron

MZVI:

Microscale zero-valent iron

GG:

Guar gum

XG:

Xanthan gum

SBS:

Single biopolymer solution

BMS:

Biopolymer mixture solution

WLF:

Williams-Landel-Ferry theory

G’:

Storage modulus (Pa)

G”:

Loss modulus (Pa)

\( \tau \) :

Downward stress of particle (Pa)

d :

Average diameter of the particles (m)

\( \rho_{p} \) :

Density of the particles (kg/m3)

\( \rho_{f} \) :

Density of the fluid (kg/m3)

g:

Acceleration of gravity (m/s2)

\( \chi_{0} \) :

Initial mass magnetic susceptibility (m3/kg)

\( \chi \) :

Mass magnetic susceptibility (m3/kg)

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Acknowledgments

The study was partially funded by the EU AQUAREHAB research project (FP7, Grant Agreement n. 226565) and by MIUR in the framework of PRIN 2008. The authors acknowledge Dr. M.Coïsson at INRiM for STEM micrographs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento Scienza Applicata e Tecnologia—DISAT and Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell’Ambiente, del Territorio e delle Infrastrutture—DIATI, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy

    Dingqi Xue

  2. Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell’Ambiente, del Territorio e delle Infrastrutture—DIATI, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi, 24, 10129, Turin, Italy

    Rajandrea Sethi

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  1. Dingqi Xue
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Xue, D., Sethi, R. Viscoelastic gels of guar and xanthan gum mixtures provide long-term stabilization of iron micro- and nanoparticles. J Nanopart Res 14, 1239 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-012-1239-0

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