posted on 2023-11-01, 16:36authored byLivius
F. Muff, Sandor Balog, Jozef Adamcik, Christoph Weder, Roman Lehner
Research on the origin, distribution, detection, identification,
and quantification of polymer nanoparticles (NPs) in the environment
and their possible impact on animal and human health is surging. For
different types of studies in this field, well-defined reference materials
or mimics are needed. While isolated reports on the preparation of
such materials are available, a simple and broadly applicable method
that allows for the production of different NP types with well-defined,
tailorable characteristics is still missing. Here, we demonstrate
that a confined impinging jet mixing process can be used to prepare
colloidally stable NPs based on polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene,
and poly(ethylene terephthalate) with diameters below < 100 nm.
Different fluorophores were incorporated into the NPs, to allow their
detection in complex environments. To demonstrate their utility and
detectability, fluorescent NPs were exposed to J774A.1 macrophages
and visualized using laser scanning microscopy. Furthermore, we modified
the NPs in a postfabrication process and changed their shape from
spherical to heterogeneous geometries, in order to mimic environmentally
relevant morphologies. The methodology used here should be readily
applicable to other polymers and payloads and thus a broad range of
NPs that enable studies of their behavior, uptake, translocation,
and biological end points in different systems.