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Spherical DNA for Probing Wettability of Microplastics
Mohamad Zandieh1, Úna E Hogan1, Rodney D L Smith1
1Department of Chemistry, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo N2L 3G1, Ontario, Canada.
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|March 29, 2023
Summary
Soaking microplastics in water enhances the adsorption of spherical nucleic acids (SNAs) by increasing surface area. This physical change, not chemical, affects SNA binding but not linear DNA, indicating reversible wettability alterations.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Materials Science
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Microplastic wettability influences their environmental fate and interactions.
- Surface properties of microplastics can change over time due to environmental exposure.
- Understanding these changes is crucial for predicting microplastic behavior and impact.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how microplastic wettability changes affect the adsorption of spherical nucleic acids (SNAs).
- To differentiate between physical and chemical transformations influencing microplastic surface properties.
- To explore the potential of SNAs as probes for microplastic surface characterization.
Main Methods:
- Adsorption experiments using spherical nucleic acids (SNAs) and linear DNA on microplastics.
- Exposure of microplastics to water (soaking) and heat treatments.
- Rehydration and drying cycles to assess reversibility of changes.
- Raman spectroscopy to analyze chemical composition.
Main Results:
- Long-term soaking (3 months) significantly enhanced SNA adsorption capacity and affinity.
- Linear DNA adsorption remained unchanged on soaked microplastics.
- Drying and rehydration reversed the enhanced SNA adsorption, indicating physical changes.
- Heating microplastics induced similar reversible changes in SNA adsorption.
- Raman spectroscopy confirmed no chemical alterations in the microplastics.
Conclusions:
- Microplastic wettability is altered by physical changes, such as the removal of entrapped air from nanopores.
- These physical changes increase the effective surface area, enhancing adsorption of larger molecules like SNAs.
- SNAs can serve as sensitive probes for detecting physical alterations in microplastic surfaces.
- The observed changes are reversible and related to physical pore structure modifications, not chemical degradation.
