Martin Leisha M A, Sheng Jian, Zimba Paul V, Zhu Lin, Fadare Oluniyi O, Haley Carol, Wang Meichen, Phillips Timothy D, Conkle Jeremy, Xu Wei
Department of Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi, TX 78412, USA.
School of Engineering, Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi, TX 78412, USA.
Nanomaterials (Basel). 2022 Jul 9;12(14):2348. doi: 10.3390/nano12142348.
Nanoplastic pollution is increasing worldwide and poses a threat to humans, animals, and ecological systems. High-throughput, reliable methods for the isolation and separation of NMPs from drinking water, wastewater, or environmental bodies of water are of interest. We investigated iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) with hydrophobic coatings to magnetize plastic particulate waste for removal. We produced and tested IONPs synthesized using air-free conditions and in atmospheric air, coated with several polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based hydrophobic coatings. Particles were characterized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometry, dynamic light scattering (DLS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and zeta potential. The IONPs synthesized in air contained a higher percentage of the magnetic spinel phase and stronger magnetization. Binding and recovery of NMPs from both salt and freshwater samples was demonstrated. Specifically, we were able to remove 100% of particles in a range of sizes, from 2-5 mm, and nearly 90% of nanoplastic particles with a size range from 100 nm to 1000 nm using a simple 2-inch permanent NdFeB magnet. Magnetization of NMPs using IONPs is a viable method for separation from water samples for quantification, characterization, and purification and remediation of water.
纳米塑料污染在全球范围内日益严重，对人类、动物和生态系统构成威胁。从饮用水、废水或环境水体中分离和提纯纳米塑料颗粒（NMPs）的高通量、可靠方法备受关注。我们研究了带有疏水涂层的氧化铁纳米颗粒（IONPs），以磁化塑料颗粒废物以便将其去除。我们制备并测试了在无氧条件和大气环境中合成的IONPs，这些颗粒涂覆了几种基于聚二甲基硅氧烷（PDMS）的疏水涂层。通过扫描电子显微镜（SEM）、透射电子显微镜（TEM）、超导量子干涉仪（SQUID）磁力测定法、动态光散射（DLS）、X射线衍射（XRD）和zeta电位对颗粒进行了表征。在空气中合成的IONPs含有更高比例的磁性尖晶石相和更强的磁化强度。证明了从盐和淡水样品中结合并回收NMPs的能力。具体而言，使用一块简单的2英寸永久钕铁硼磁铁，我们能够去除2至5毫米范围内100%的颗粒，以及尺寸范围为100纳米至1000纳米的纳米塑料颗粒中的近90%。使用IONPs对NMPs进行磁化是从水样中分离NMPs以进行定量、表征以及水的净化和修复的可行方法。
