Developing nano plastics models to study their fate in the environment.

Plastic has become inevitable in our daily lives as it is used in myriad applications due to its excellent properties, such as its lightweight, durability, and versatility1. However, despite its outstanding features, the end-of-life fate of most plastics is currently less than ideal. The effects of the uncontrolled use of conventional plastics on the environment are multiple, including the depletion of petrochemical resources, greenhouse gas emissions, and, most importantly, the accumulation of plastic waste in the ecosystems. Once the plastic accumulates in the environment, it can undergo fragmentation and degradation due to biotic and abiotic processes, eventually forming microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs). These contaminants are of emerging concern, adversely affecting the ecosystem and human health. In this context, it is essential to have a deepened understanding of the environmental fate of these NPs. The strategy proposed herein allows fabricating NPs with characteristics similar to those expected to be found in the environment for detailed studies of their fate2. We focus on forming NPs from plastics through a top-down approach, starting with a bulk polymeric film. Upon laser ablation (LA) in an aqueous environment, using a pulsed UV laser, the film releases polymeric fragments in the nanometric size range, with physicochemical properties comparable to the ones of the NPs produced by macro plastics following the photodegradation pathway that may occur in a realistic environment. Such a method allows the fabrication of NPs without using chemicals and precursors and has surface chemistry as one of the environmental samples2,3. This research offers the opportunity to perform realistic studies on NPs, such as their interaction with other pollutants, cytotoxicity, and the effects on organisms in a three-dimensional space. Also see: https://micro2024.sciencesconf.org/558399/document