EchoTilt: An Acoustofluidic Method for the Capture and Enrichment of Nanoplastics Directed Toward Drinking Water Monitoring

Micro- and nanoplastics have become increasingly relevant as contaminants to be monitored due to their potential health effects and environmental impact. Nanoplastics, in particular, have been shown to be difficult to detect in drinking water, requiring new capture technologies. In this work, we app...

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Main Authors: Martim Costa, Liselotte van der Geer, Miguel Joaquim, B. Hammarström, S. Tanriverdi, H. N. Joensson, M. Wiklund, A. Russom
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Micromachines
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/15/12/1487
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author Martim Costa
Liselotte van der Geer
Miguel Joaquim
B. Hammarström
S. Tanriverdi
H. N. Joensson
M. Wiklund
A. Russom
author_facet Martim Costa
Liselotte van der Geer
Miguel Joaquim
B. Hammarström
S. Tanriverdi
H. N. Joensson
M. Wiklund
A. Russom
author_sort Martim Costa
collection DOAJ
description Micro- and nanoplastics have become increasingly relevant as contaminants to be monitored due to their potential health effects and environmental impact. Nanoplastics, in particular, have been shown to be difficult to detect in drinking water, requiring new capture technologies. In this work, we applied the acoustofluidic seed particle method to capture nanoplastics in an optimized, tilted grid of silica clusters even at the high flow rate of 5 mL/min. Moreover, we achieved, using this technique, the enrichment of nanoparticles ranging from 500 nm to 25 nm as a first in the field. We employed fluorescence to observe the enrichment profiles according to size, using a washing buffer flow at 0.5 mL/min, highlighting the size-dependent nature of the silica seed particle release of various sizes of nanoparticles. These results highlight the versatility of acoustic trapping for a wide range of nanoplastic particles and allow further study into the complex dynamics of the seed particle method at these size ranges. Moreover, with reproducible size-dependent washing curves, we provide a new window into the rate of nanoplastic escape in high-capacity acoustic traps, relevant to both environmental and biomedical applications.
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publisher MDPI AG
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series Micromachines
spelling doaj-art-800dbfdf52d841dd95d4b5d745b4621a2025-08-20T02:57:27ZengMDPI AGMicromachines2072-666X2024-12-011512148710.3390/mi15121487EchoTilt: An Acoustofluidic Method for the Capture and Enrichment of Nanoplastics Directed Toward Drinking Water MonitoringMartim Costa0Liselotte van der Geer1Miguel Joaquim2B. Hammarström3S. Tanriverdi4H. N. Joensson5M. Wiklund6A. Russom7Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Protein Science, Division of Nanobiotechnology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 171 65 Solna, SwedenScience for Life Laboratory, Department of Protein Science, Division of Nanobiotechnology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 171 65 Solna, SwedenDepartamento de Bioengenharia, Instituto Superior Técnico, 1049-001 Lisboa, PortugalScience for Life Laboratory, Department of Applied Physics, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 171 65 Solna, SwedenScience for Life Laboratory, Department of Protein Science, Division of Nanobiotechnology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 171 65 Solna, SwedenScience for Life Laboratory, Department of Protein Science, Division of Nanobiotechnology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 171 65 Solna, SwedenScience for Life Laboratory, Department of Applied Physics, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 171 65 Solna, SwedenScience for Life Laboratory, Department of Protein Science, Division of Nanobiotechnology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 171 65 Solna, SwedenMicro- and nanoplastics have become increasingly relevant as contaminants to be monitored due to their potential health effects and environmental impact. Nanoplastics, in particular, have been shown to be difficult to detect in drinking water, requiring new capture technologies. In this work, we applied the acoustofluidic seed particle method to capture nanoplastics in an optimized, tilted grid of silica clusters even at the high flow rate of 5 mL/min. Moreover, we achieved, using this technique, the enrichment of nanoparticles ranging from 500 nm to 25 nm as a first in the field. We employed fluorescence to observe the enrichment profiles according to size, using a washing buffer flow at 0.5 mL/min, highlighting the size-dependent nature of the silica seed particle release of various sizes of nanoparticles. These results highlight the versatility of acoustic trapping for a wide range of nanoplastic particles and allow further study into the complex dynamics of the seed particle method at these size ranges. Moreover, with reproducible size-dependent washing curves, we provide a new window into the rate of nanoplastic escape in high-capacity acoustic traps, relevant to both environmental and biomedical applications.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/15/12/1487acoustofluidicsseed particle methodsilica-enhanced seed particle methodmicroplasticsnanoplasticsacoustic trap
spellingShingle Martim Costa
Liselotte van der Geer
Miguel Joaquim
B. Hammarström
S. Tanriverdi
H. N. Joensson
M. Wiklund
A. Russom
EchoTilt: An Acoustofluidic Method for the Capture and Enrichment of Nanoplastics Directed Toward Drinking Water Monitoring
Micromachines
acoustofluidics
seed particle method
silica-enhanced seed particle method
microplastics
nanoplastics
acoustic trap
title EchoTilt: An Acoustofluidic Method for the Capture and Enrichment of Nanoplastics Directed Toward Drinking Water Monitoring
title_full EchoTilt: An Acoustofluidic Method for the Capture and Enrichment of Nanoplastics Directed Toward Drinking Water Monitoring
title_fullStr EchoTilt: An Acoustofluidic Method for the Capture and Enrichment of Nanoplastics Directed Toward Drinking Water Monitoring
title_full_unstemmed EchoTilt: An Acoustofluidic Method for the Capture and Enrichment of Nanoplastics Directed Toward Drinking Water Monitoring
title_short EchoTilt: An Acoustofluidic Method for the Capture and Enrichment of Nanoplastics Directed Toward Drinking Water Monitoring
title_sort echotilt an acoustofluidic method for the capture and enrichment of nanoplastics directed toward drinking water monitoring
topic acoustofluidics
seed particle method
silica-enhanced seed particle method
microplastics
nanoplastics
acoustic trap
url https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/15/12/1487
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