Diuron Sorbed to Carbon Nanotubes Exhibits Enhanced Toxicity to Chlorella vulgaris

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) are more and more likely to be present in the environment, where they will associate with organic micropollutants due to strong sorption. The toxic effects of these CNT-micropollutant mixtures on aquatic organisms are poorly characterized. Here, we systematically quantified the effects of the herbicide diuron on the photosynthetic activity of the green alga Chlorella vulgaris in presence of different multiwalled CNT (industrial, purified, pristine, and oxidized) or soot. The presence of carbonaceous nanoparticles reduced the adverse effect of diuron maximally by