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Wieberneit, Alissa J. ; Baumann, Sophia J. ; Triebel, Hannah ; Dietrich, Sarah ; Wongkaew, Nongnoot ; Castrop, Hayo ; Baeumner, Antje J.

Production of Irregularly Shaped True-To-Life Microplastics with Embedded Optical Labels and Exemplary Application in an Ex Vivo Model

Wieberneit, Alissa J. , Baumann, Sophia J., Triebel, Hannah, Dietrich, Sarah, Wongkaew, Nongnoot , Castrop, Hayo and Baeumner, Antje J. (2025) Production of Irregularly Shaped True-To-Life Microplastics with Embedded Optical Labels and Exemplary Application in an Ex Vivo Model. Environmental Science & Technology.

Date of publication of this fulltext: 05 Sep 2025 15:16
Article
DOI to cite this document: 10.5283/epub.77659


Abstract

Ubiquitous in the environment, microplastics (MPs) are also taken up by all organisms. Possible implications are increasingly being studied, yet research is often limited by the use of idealized, spherical MPs. To better mimic MPs found in the environment, we demonstrate electrospun microfibers (MFs) as a possible precursor material, allowing for direct embedding of labels and simplified ...

Ubiquitous in the environment, microplastics (MPs) are also taken up by all organisms. Possible implications are increasingly being studied, yet research is often limited by the use of idealized, spherical MPs. To better mimic MPs found in the environment, we demonstrate electrospun microfibers (MFs) as a possible precursor material, allowing for direct embedding of labels and simplified production of irregular microplastic (MP) fragments and fibers. Specifically, using polystyrene as a model polymer, MFs are doped with either organic (9,10-diphenylanthracene, DPA) or inorganic (upconversion nanoparticles, UCNPs) luminophores. Those optical labels allow for imaging under UV/vis or NIR excitation, respectively. Stable embedding is proven with minimal leaching over 35 days (DPA: 0.0023 wt %, UCNPs: 0.2 wt %). Mechanical disruption yielded MP fragments of (4 ± 3) μm in diameter for ball milling and fibers of (20 ± 20) μm in length for shear force exfoliation. While fibrous MPs were still too long for biological studies, the milled MPs are successfully applied ex vivo in mouse kidneys and are readily imaged in the tissue. Future studies on the biological impact will benefit from this approach, which offers a standardized method to produce traceable MPs that better resemble environmentally occurring MPs.



Involved Institutions


Details

Item typeArticle
Journal or Publication TitleEnvironmental Science & Technology
Publisher:American Chemical Society (ACS)
Open Access Type:ACS Hybrid
Date28 August 2025
InstitutionsChemistry and Pharmacy > Institut für Analytische Chemie, Chemo- und Biosensorik > Chemo- und Biosensorik (Prof. Antje J. Bäumner, formerly Prof. Wolfbeis)
Identification Number
ValueType
10.1021/acs.est.5c08586DOI
Keywordsmicrofiber; upconversion nanoparticles; irregular microplastic generation; fluorescence imaging; ex vivo kidney model
Dewey Decimal Classification500 Science > 540 Chemistry & allied sciences
StatusPublished
RefereedYes, this version has been refereed
Created at the University of RegensburgYes
URN of the UB Regensburgurn:nbn:de:bvb:355-epub-776590
Item ID77659

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