Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) nanomechanical characterization of micro- and nanoplastics to support environmental investigations in groundwater
Micro and nanoplastic (MNP) pollution is a severe environmental issue, posing potential risks to environmental and human health due to the intrinsic toxicity of plastic particles and their capacity to adsorb other pollutants. The diffusion of plastic debris affects all the environmental domains, inc...
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| Format: | Article |
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KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Emerging Contaminants |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405665025000125 |
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| author | Massimiliano Galluzzi Michele Lancia Chunmiao Zheng Viviana Re Valter Castelvetro Shifeng Guo Stefano Viaroli |
| author_facet | Massimiliano Galluzzi Michele Lancia Chunmiao Zheng Viviana Re Valter Castelvetro Shifeng Guo Stefano Viaroli |
| author_sort | Massimiliano Galluzzi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Micro and nanoplastic (MNP) pollution is a severe environmental issue, posing potential risks to environmental and human health due to the intrinsic toxicity of plastic particles and their capacity to adsorb other pollutants. The diffusion of plastic debris affects all the environmental domains, including groundwater which was erroneously believed to be protected by the porous structure of the soil. Advanced spectroscopic techniques can detect the polymer type and quantify the number of MNP particles but are affected by large uncertainties in case of particles smaller than 10 μm in size and MNP heteroaggregates. To advance in the morphological and mechanical characterization of MNPs, a new protocol based on multifrequency Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is proposed with the support of the custom open software “MultiFreq AFMSuite”. Reconstituted MNP samples in pristine and aged conditions are used to fine-tune the methodology. Multifrequency AFM allows the detection of MNPs up to the nanometric scale based on elastic modulus assessments. The proposed technique also provides an in-depth analysis of the MNP surface roughness and the morphological characterization of particle aggregates. MNP particles from groundwater samples result in aggregates with a roughness of one to two orders of magnitude higher than the plastic particles aged in the laboratory, suggesting a higher adsorption capacity towards pollutants or other natural compounds. The application of the proposed method can facilitate the characterization of micro-and nanoplastics in groundwater, a resource characterized by large uncertainties in hydrodynamics and pollutant transport. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-727f841766114db6996c4326b044740e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2405-6650 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Emerging Contaminants |
| spelling | doaj-art-727f841766114db6996c4326b044740e2025-02-09T05:00:38ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.Emerging Contaminants2405-66502025-06-01112100478Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) nanomechanical characterization of micro- and nanoplastics to support environmental investigations in groundwaterMassimiliano Galluzzi0Michele Lancia1Chunmiao Zheng2Viviana Re3Valter Castelvetro4Shifeng Guo5Stefano Viaroli6Laboratory of Inflammation and Vaccines, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, Guangdong, China; China-Italy Joint Laboratory of Pharmacobiotechnology for Medical Immunomodulation, Shenzhen, 518055, China; Corresponding author. Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, Guangdong, China.Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China; Eastern Institute for Advanced Studies, Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo, China; Corresponding author. Eastern Institute for Advanced Studies, Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo, China.Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China; Eastern Institute for Advanced Studies, Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo, ChinaDepartment of Earth Sciences, University of Pisa, Pisa, ItalyDepartment of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; CISUP - Center for the Integration of Scientific Instruments of the University of Pisa, University of Pisa, Pisa, ItalyShenzhen Key Laboratory of Smart Sensing and Intelligent Systems, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, 518055, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Earth Sciences, University of Pisa, Pisa, ItalyMicro and nanoplastic (MNP) pollution is a severe environmental issue, posing potential risks to environmental and human health due to the intrinsic toxicity of plastic particles and their capacity to adsorb other pollutants. The diffusion of plastic debris affects all the environmental domains, including groundwater which was erroneously believed to be protected by the porous structure of the soil. Advanced spectroscopic techniques can detect the polymer type and quantify the number of MNP particles but are affected by large uncertainties in case of particles smaller than 10 μm in size and MNP heteroaggregates. To advance in the morphological and mechanical characterization of MNPs, a new protocol based on multifrequency Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is proposed with the support of the custom open software “MultiFreq AFMSuite”. Reconstituted MNP samples in pristine and aged conditions are used to fine-tune the methodology. Multifrequency AFM allows the detection of MNPs up to the nanometric scale based on elastic modulus assessments. The proposed technique also provides an in-depth analysis of the MNP surface roughness and the morphological characterization of particle aggregates. MNP particles from groundwater samples result in aggregates with a roughness of one to two orders of magnitude higher than the plastic particles aged in the laboratory, suggesting a higher adsorption capacity towards pollutants or other natural compounds. The application of the proposed method can facilitate the characterization of micro-and nanoplastics in groundwater, a resource characterized by large uncertainties in hydrodynamics and pollutant transport.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405665025000125AquiferMicroplasticsParticle aggregatesSurface roughnessUrban hydrology |
| spellingShingle | Massimiliano Galluzzi Michele Lancia Chunmiao Zheng Viviana Re Valter Castelvetro Shifeng Guo Stefano Viaroli Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) nanomechanical characterization of micro- and nanoplastics to support environmental investigations in groundwater Emerging Contaminants Aquifer Microplastics Particle aggregates Surface roughness Urban hydrology |
| title | Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) nanomechanical characterization of micro- and nanoplastics to support environmental investigations in groundwater |
| title_full | Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) nanomechanical characterization of micro- and nanoplastics to support environmental investigations in groundwater |
| title_fullStr | Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) nanomechanical characterization of micro- and nanoplastics to support environmental investigations in groundwater |
| title_full_unstemmed | Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) nanomechanical characterization of micro- and nanoplastics to support environmental investigations in groundwater |
| title_short | Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) nanomechanical characterization of micro- and nanoplastics to support environmental investigations in groundwater |
| title_sort | atomic force microscopy afm nanomechanical characterization of micro and nanoplastics to support environmental investigations in groundwater |
| topic | Aquifer Microplastics Particle aggregates Surface roughness Urban hydrology |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405665025000125 |
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