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Nanoplastic production procedure for scientific purposes: PP, PVC, PE-LD, PE-HD, and PS
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Researchers developed standardized laboratory procedures for making nanoplastic particles — tiny plastic fragments 50 to 300 nanometers in size — from five common polymer types including polypropylene, PVC, and polystyrene. Having a reliable method to produce research-grade nanoplastics is essential for scientists studying how these particles affect living organisms and ecosystems, as consistent test materials are currently scarce.
Studies on the environmental impact of nanoplastics face challenges in plastic analysis and a scarcity of nanoplastic materials necessary for the development of analytical techniques and experiments on biota impact. Here we provide detailed procedures for obtaining nanoparticles suspended in water for the most commonly used polymers: Polypropylene (PP), Polyvinylchloride (PVC), Low- and High-Density Polyethylene (PE-LD, PE-HD), and Polystyrene (PS). We dissolved larger size material to reprecipitate nanoparticles. For all plastic types, we obtained nanoparticles with a size between 50 and 300 nm, and a mainly spherical morphology. We verified that no irreversible agglomeration or coalescence of the particles occurred after 5 days of storage. The concentrations obtained in the final carrier solution were of the order of 109 particles mL-1. To prevent the persistence of reagents in the final carrier solution, a filtration step was implemented at the end of the process. The method proved unsuitable for Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET).
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