Degrees:
2015
Doctorate Chemical Sciences
Dr Lukhele’s doctoral research focussed on quantifying the toxicity of double walled carbon nanotubes on three aquatic organisms namely, algae, macro-invertebrates and fish. Acute toxicity tests revealed that double walled carbon nanotubes were more toxic towards macro-invertebrates while fish was less sensitive to double walled carbon nanotubes exposure. Sub-lethal toxicity tests revealed that double walled carbon nanotubes caused significantly high oxidative stress and DNA damage in macro-invertebrates and fish but not in algae. Therefore, the multi-species and multi- tiered i.e. the determination of lethal and sub-lethal effects approach adopted in this study provided comprehensive information on the potential effects of these double walled carbon nanotubes in the aquatic environment. This study has produced a framework for evaluating the toxicity of nanomaterials at low concentration levels in water and the results obtained will prove to be significant for future research when ascertaining and modelling of potential risks associated with other types of engineered nanomaterials and nanoparticles for various applications in nanotechnology.