Nanoparticles are a potential source and carrier of nutrients and pollutants in aquatic ecosystems, yet the stability of nanoparticles in environmental conditions is poorly known. Here, we studied volcanic ash nanoparticles by simultaneous application of capillary zone electrophoresis and laser diffraction for determination of size, zeta-potential and long-term aggregation stability. Results show that volcanic ash nanoparticles remained stable for at least 28 days. Stability increases from pH 5.5 to 8.5. Zeta-potentials are − 56 mV at pH 7.2 and − 64 mV at pH 8.5. Findings imply that volcanic ash nanoparticles have a high potential for long-range transport of nutrient and toxic elements in surface waters. Moreover, the developed method allows direct conversion of electropherograms into particle size distributions.

纳米颗粒是水生生态系统中营养物质和污染物的潜在来源和载体，但是人们对纳米颗粒在环境条件下的稳定性知之甚少。在这里，我们通过同时应用毛细管区带电泳和激光衍射研究了火山灰的纳米粒子，以确定粒径，ζ电位和长期聚集稳定性。结果表明，火山灰纳米颗粒保持稳定至少28天。稳定性从pH 5.5增加到8.5。Zeta电位在pH 7.2下为− 56 mV，在pH 8.5下为− 64 mV。研究结果表明，火山灰纳米颗粒具有在地表水中长期输送营养和有毒元素的潜力。此外，开发的方法可以将电泳图直接转换为粒度分布。