Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes, NM-400, NM-401, NM-402, NM-403: Characterisation and Physico-Chemical Properties

In 2011 the JRC launched a Repository for Representative Test Materials that supports both EU and international research projects, and especially the OECD Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials' (WPMN) exploratory testing programme "Testing a Representative set of Manufactured Nanomaterials" for the development and collection of data on characterisation, toxicological and ecotoxicological properties, as well as risk assessment and safety evaluation of nanomaterials. The JRC Repository responds to a need for availability of nanomaterial from a single production batch to enhance the comparability of results between different research laboratories and projects. The present report presents the physico-chemical characterisation of the multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) from the JRC Repository: NM-400, NM-401, NM-402 and NM-403. NM-400 was selected as principal material for the OECD WPMN testing programme. They are produced by catalytic chemical vapour deposition. Each of these NMs originates from one respective batch of commercially manufactured MWCNT. They are nanostructured, i.e. they consist of more than one graphene layer stacked on each other and rolled together as concentric tubes. The MWCNT NMs may be used as a representative material in the measurement and testing with regard to hazard identification, risk and exposure assessment studies. The results are based on studies by several European laboratories participating to the NANOGENOTOX Joint Action.
JRC.I.4-Nanobiosciences