Application of a multi-method approach in characterization of natural aquatic colloids from different sources along Huangpu River in Shanghai, China
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Updated: Mar 24, 2026

An Ultra-clean Multilayer Apparatus for Collecting Size Fractionated Marine Plankton and Suspended Particles
Published on: April 19, 2018
Caixia Yan1, Minghua Nie2, Jamie R Lead3
1School of Geography and Environment, Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Wetland and Watershed Research, Ministry of Education, Jiangxi Normal University, 99 Ziyang Road, Nanchang 330022, China; Center for Environmental Nanoscience and Risk, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, 921 Assembly Street, Columbia 29208, USA; State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, China.
Abstract:
Natural colloid properties and the impact of human activities on these properties are important considerations for studies seeking to understand the fate and transport of pollutants. In this study, the relationship between size and fluorescence properties of natural colloids from 4 different sources were quantified using a multi-method analytical approach including UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy, flow field flow fractionation (FlFFF) coupled online to fluorescence spectrometer, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Results indicate that colloids from pristine natural river water have higher aromaticity and humification, higher fluorescent intensity, and smaller size compared to those from the rivers impacted by livestock. The majority of colloids are smaller than 10nm in size as measured by AFM and FlFFF. Colloid size measured by FlFFF coupled to fluorescence spectroscopy increases in the order peak C (Ex/Em at 300-340/400-460 nm)
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