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Migration of cationic polymer between anionic polymer microspheres
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Cationic polymers adsorbed onto anionic polystyrene microspheres in aqueous solution were found to migrate freely between particles over time, resulting in uniform redistribution—demonstrating that polymer-coated microplastics can redistribute surface-bound toxicants as they interact with other particles in the environment.
In aqueous solution, the cationic polymers poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) and poly-L-lysine hydrobromide are electrostatically adsorbed onto anionic polystyrene microspheres, which are used as a model of microplastics. The adsorbed polymers are able to migrate between the particles, resulting in a uniform distribution of macromolecules over all particles in the system. Interparticle migration should be taken into account when discussing the spread of toxicants associated with micron-sized vectors.
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