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Measuring the Interfacial Chemistry of Micro- and Nano-Plastics Using Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization
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This study applied Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry to characterize the surface chemistry of micro- and nanoplastics, providing a new analytical approach to understand the interfacial interactions that govern how plastic particles sorb contaminants and interact with biological systems.
Micro-and nano-plastics (MNPs) pose a significant hazard to both environmental and human health due to their complex interfacial interactions with their surroundings, however there is a lack of techniques available to study the composition of MNPs at their surface.To fill this gap, representative MNPs were coated with matrix that enabled detection via matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI), a technique that has been shown to be surface specific but had not been applied to MNPs previously.Three different coating techniques were tested; evaporation and condensation, drop-casting, and mixed nebulization.Mixed nebulization provided the best balance of results, which was a strong MALDI signal in combination with even coating on the MNP surface from MNPs 20 m.This work provides a new technique for the measurement of MNP surface composition that will help advance the field and enable more thorough studies of the chemical transformations that MNPs undergo in the environment. SAND2025-12205R
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