Production of Irregularly Shaped True-To-Life Microplastics with Embedded Optical Labels and Exemplary Application in...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Materials Science
• Toxicology

Background:

• Microplastics (MPs) are pervasive environmental contaminants.
• Current research often uses simplified spherical MPs, limiting ecological relevance.
• Understanding MP uptake and biological effects requires more realistic models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a standardized method for producing traceable microplastic fragments and fibers.
• To create microplastic models that better mimic environmentally occurring shapes.
• To enable simplified imaging of microplastics within biological tissues.

Main Methods:

• Electrospun polystyrene microfibers doped with organic (DPA) or inorganic (UCNP) luminophores were fabricated.
• Mechanical methods (ball milling, shear exfoliation) were used to generate MP fragments and fibers.
• Ex vivo imaging of milled MPs in mouse kidneys was performed using optical microscopy.

Main Results:

• Stable embedding of luminophores with minimal leaching (<0.2 wt%) over 35 days was achieved.
• Ball milling produced microplastic fragments with a mean diameter of 4 μm.
• Milled microplastic fragments were successfully imaged in mouse kidney tissue.

Conclusions:

• Electrospun microfibers provide a versatile precursor for creating traceable, environmentally relevant microplastic models.
• This method facilitates the production of microplastics suitable for biological uptake and impact studies.
• The developed technique offers a standardized approach for future microplastic research.