Regensburg 2025 – scientific programme

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CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik

CPP 12: Biomaterials, Biopolymers and Bioinspired Functional Materials I (joint session CPP/BP)

CPP 12.3: Talk

Monday, March 17, 2025, 17:30–17:45, H46

Model particles to study interaction of microplastic particles — •Kai Gossen, Andreas Fery, and Günter Auernhammer — IPF Dresden, Dresden, Germany

Microplastic in the environment is typically coated by natural organic matter forming an ecocorona. We present an approach to model ecocorona on particles with well-defined polymers, synthetic and derived from natural polymers. Polystyrene particles were coated with fluorescent polyelectrolyte multilayer systems, PS(Chitosan/Hyaluronic acid) and PS(Poly(dimethyldiallylammonium chloride) /Polystyrene sulfonate) by the layer-by-layer method. Systems with 2, 4 and 6 bilayers were synthesized. The second layers were fluorescently labelled with SNARF conjugated dextran.

It was found that zeta potentials of the PS(Chi/HS)2/4/6 systems assume values (-20 mV to -35 mV) that are similar to those of PS-ecocorona particles (-40 mV to -5 mV). The pH-dependent fluorescence of particle suspensions and individual particles were measured at pH values between pH 3 and pH 8. A well measurable pH dependence between pH 4.5 and 8 for the PS(Chi/HS) systems and the PS(PDADMAC/PSS) system could be measured. The system could serve to selectively study effects of surface properties of ecocorona coated particles such as surface stiffness or zeta potential.

Keywords: Microplastic; Nanoplastic; polyelectrolyte multilayers; pH-sensitive fluorescence