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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 19: Biopolymers, Biomaterials and Bioinspired Functional Materials (joint session CPP/BP)

BP 19.3: Talk

Wednesday, March 29, 2023, 17:00–17:15, MER 02

Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy for studying the aggregation of nanoplastics in model biofilm substances — •Tobias Guckeisen, Rozalia Orghici, and Silke Rathgeber — Universität Koblenz, Deutschland

Nanoplastics in the environment are a growing problem. Pollutants can adhere to their surfaces and therefore be easily transported into the natural systems. Biofilms are found everywhere in the environment; they are formed by microbial communities that produce a matrix of extracellular polymeric substances. The interaction between nanoplastics and biofilms can lead to aggregation and sedimentation of nanoparticles and determines the transport and fate of nanoplastics. A better understanding of the transport and fate of nanoplastics is important to improve our ability to predict risks associated with these ubiquitous contaminants. In this project, we use fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) to study the aggregation and interactions of nanoplastics with model biofilm substances. Protein-polysaccharide mixing ratio and pH-dependent aggregation studies show that it is crucial to consider correlative effects between multiple biofilm components to better understand the impact biofilms have on nanoplastic aggregation. Biofilm model systems with only one component, as commonly considered, may lead to an incorrect assessment of the tendency to aggregation.