Researchers at Carnegie Mellon and Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory have designed nanoparticles for removing the solvent trichloroethylene from contaminated soil.

Targeted drug-delivery methods using thermodynamic or chemical affinity to get specific drugs to target organs and/or tissues were the inspiration for their work.

The researchers used nanoparticles with an iron core and a shell made up of several types of polymer. A hydrophilic coating made the nanoparticles soluble in water, while a hydrophobic layer gave them an affinity to the trichlorethylene. The iron core of the nanoparticle reacted with the trichloroethylene and dechlorinated it, decomposing the pollutant into non-toxic materials.

The researchers believe they could target other subsurface contaminants simply by changing the reactive core and polymer shells.