Savchuk M. Environmental assessment of the Nb-containing nanocomposites based on saponite

The thesis is devoted to the actual scientific problem concerning the study of the physico-chemical characteristics and peculiarities of newly synthesized Nb5+-containing saponite-based nanocomposites influence on biological systems of different levels of organization and the possibility of using nanocomposites for increasing the biometric indices of agricultural crops evaluation. In the thesis, the structural features, morphology and dimensions of nanocomposites based on saponite were studied. The expediency of studying the physicochemical characteristics of nanocomposites, in particular their size, which determines toxicity, was substantiated. The influence of saponite-based nanocomposites on biological systems of different levels of the organization with the consideration of nanocomposites and nanoparticles physical and chemical properties included in their composition was carried out. It has been established that nanocomposites do not possess toxic properties to different levels of organization, while their component – nanosized SiO2 possessed cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, phytotoxicity and toxicity towards microorganisms and daphnia, which depended on concentration and size of nanomaterials. A complex study of the nanocomposites influence on the corn growth processes has been carried out. It has been experimentally proved that nanocomposites increase the biometric indices of corn plants. The methodical approaches for increasing corn growth processes, which include preliminary soaking of seeds in aqueous solution of nanocomposite Nb-Saponite (Et), were offered.