Bioaccumulation and prioritization of emerging liquid crystal monomers and organic light-emitting materials in an...

Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) and organic light-emitting materials (OLEMs) are critical functional chemicals in display panels, yet their aquatic environmental fate and ecological risks remain poorly understood. Here, we systematically investigated 54 LCMs/OLEMs in water, sediment, and aquatic organisms from a source-dominated urban lake. 25 analogues were detected in abiotic matrices (C_{Σ25LCMs+OLEMs}: 0.2-6.0 ng/L in water, 0.2-2.2 ng/g dw in sediment), dominated by fluorinated LCMs. Depth-dependent accumulation in sediment cores corresponded to industrial LCD-to-OLED transitions, and fugacity-based modeling confirmed net deposition from water to sediment for most analogues. Two cyanobiphenyl LCMs approached sediment-water equilibrium, suggesting enhanced bioavailability. In biota, 10 analogues were detected (C_{Σ10LCMs+OLEMs}: ND-1.6 ng/g dw), with legacy cyanobiphenyl 3OCB showing the highest detection frequency (42.9%) and dual accumulation pathways (BSAF > 1, BAF > 5000). Five analogues showed TMF > 1 (range: 1.2-5.7, p > 0.05), comparable to legacy POPs. ToxPi-based risk ranking integrating 10 metrics identified 10 priority analogues, with five TMF > 1 compounds ranking consistently high. This study provides the first synchronized field dataset across water, sediment, and aquatic species within a source‑impacted ecosystem, demonstrating that specific legacy display analogues may persist in food webs while novel analogues exhibit bioaccumulation potential comparable to regulated POPs.