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Revealing Trace Nanoplastics in Food Packages─An Electrochemical Approach Facilitated by Synergistic Attraction of Electrostatics and Hydrophobicity
Summary
Researchers developed a sandwich-based electrochemical sensor that uses gold nanoparticles and the signal molecule ferrocene to detect trace nanoplastics released from food packaging, exploiting both electrostatic attraction and hydrophobic interactions for selectivity. The method detected nanoplastics from PS, PP, PE, and PA packaging within a dynamic range of 1-100 micrograms per liter, revealing that teabags release significantly more nanoplastics than instant noodle boxes or paper cups.
Most food packages are made of plastics, nanoplastics released from which can be directly ingested and induce serious damage to organisms. Therefore, it is urgent to develop an effective and convenient method for nanoplastic determinations in food packages. In this work, we present a sandwich-based electrochemical strategy for nanoplastic determination. Positively charged Au nanoparticles were coated onto a Au electrode to selectively capture negatively charged nanoplastics in an aqueous environment. Subsequently, the nanoplastics were recognized by the signal molecule ferrocene via the hydrophobic interaction and determined by differential pulse voltammetry. Our sandwich-type detection depends on both electronegativity and hydrophobicity of nanoplastics, which make the method applicable for the assays of packages made of widely commercialized polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), and polyamide (PA). The method displays different sensitivities to above four nanoplastics but the same dynamic range from 1 to 100 μg·L-1. Based on it, the nanoplastics released from several typical food packages were assayed. Teabags were revealed with significant nanoplastic release, while instant noodle boxes, paper cups, and take-out boxes release slightly. The good recoveries in nanoplastic-spiked samples confirm the accuracy and applicability of this method. This work provides a sensitive, low-cost, and simple method without complicated instruments and pretreatment, which is of great significance for the determination of nanoplastics released from food packages.
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