Ecotoxicological assessment of water phase exfoliated two-dimensional Group-VI transition metal dichalcogenides using zebrafish embryo model

: Among emerging layered materials, 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) nanosheets (n-sheets) have received increasing attention for optoelectronics, energy storage, and, recently, for bioremediation and advanced biomedical applications; however, a lack of ecotoxicological in vivo studies is evident. Herein, for the first time, the potential nanotoxicity of liquid phase exfoliated Group VI TMDs n-sheets (MoS2, WS2, WSe2, and MoSe2) was comparatively investigated using zebrafish embryos (Z-EBs) as an in-vivo model. The 2D n-sheets were produced directly in aqueous-medium, the obtained n-sheets were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Raman and visible spectroscopy, and their potential nanotoxicity was investigated by fish embryo test OECD TG 236. Chorionated and dechorionated embryos were used to assess the severity of TMD exposure. The survival rate, sublethal alteration during embryogenesis, hatching rate, and mortality were evaluated. TMDs n-sheets tend to adhere to the Z-EBs surface depending on their chemistry. Despite this, TMDs did not show lethal effects; weak sublethal effects were found for MoS2 and WSe2, while slight hatching delays were registered for MoSe2 and WSe2. The observed effects are attributable to the TMDs' tendency to interact with Z-EBs, because of the different chemistry. This work demonstrates how water-dispersed TMDs are potential eco/biocompatible materials.