Interfacial interactions of submicron plastics with carbon dots: insights into the interface properties of microplastic weathering

IF 11.4 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL

Water Research Pub Date : 2025-02-23 DOI:10.1016/j.watres.2025.123377

Chao Liu, Yuan Jiao, Chunfan Yang, Bo Li, Wenjun Li, Tianwei Qian, Xiaona Liu

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The interfacial properties and environmental behavior of microplastics (MPs) will change with weathering. A new idea to study the interfacial properties of MPs is provided based on fluorescence response and light scattering changes. Submicron microspheres (PS-AA) obtained by soap-free emulsion polymerization have a well-defined composition and clean surface with carboxyl groups. The interfacial properties of PS-AA changed after Fenton and UV aging, and the sharp edges became blurred. Information on the interfacial interactions of leaf-derived carbon dots (R-CDs) and citrate carbon dots (B-CDs) with aged PS-AA was obtained by recording fluorescence and scattering changes. R-CDs can fluorescently respond to carrying contaminants on aged PS-AA, and their correlation increases with the degree of aging (R²=0.8388). The scattering peak of PS-AA decreased after aging, and the change in scattering/fluorescence ratios with concentration had a good linear relationship under the coexistence of B-CDs (R²=0.9983). Aging of PS-AA increases the contamination-carrying capacity and decreases the optical properties, which may be attributed to the increased oxygen-containing functional groups, ring opening of substituted benzene, and shell decomposition. The response mechanism of carbon dots (CDs), the aging process of PS-AA, and the interfacial behavior were further explained based on the density functional theory (DFT). This study reveals the changes in interfacial properties of submicron plastics with the aging process based on fluorescence response and scattering changes.

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来源期刊

Water Research 环境科学-工程：环境

CiteScore

20.80

自引率

9.40%

发文量

1307

审稿时长

38 days

期刊介绍： Water Research, along with its open access companion journal Water Research X, serves as a platform for publishing original research papers covering various aspects of the science and technology related to the anthropogenic water cycle, water quality, and its management worldwide. The audience targeted by the journal comprises biologists, chemical engineers, chemists, civil engineers, environmental engineers, limnologists, and microbiologists. The scope of the journal include: •Treatment processes for water and wastewaters (municipal, agricultural, industrial, and on-site treatment), including resource recovery and residuals management; •Urban hydrology including sewer systems, stormwater management, and green infrastructure; •Drinking water treatment and distribution; •Potable and non-potable water reuse; •Sanitation, public health, and risk assessment; •Anaerobic digestion, solid and hazardous waste management, including source characterization and the effects and control of leachates and gaseous emissions; •Contaminants (chemical, microbial, anthropogenic particles such as nanoparticles or microplastics) and related water quality sensing, monitoring, fate, and assessment; •Anthropogenic impacts on inland, tidal, coastal and urban waters, focusing on surface and ground waters, and point and non-point sources of pollution; •Environmental restoration, linked to surface water, groundwater and groundwater remediation; •Analysis of the interfaces between sediments and water, and between water and atmosphere, focusing specifically on anthropogenic impacts; •Mathematical modelling, systems analysis, machine learning, and beneficial use of big data related to the anthropogenic water cycle; •Socio-economic, policy, and regulations studies.