Selective quantification of nanoplastics in environmental matrices by asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation with total organic carbon detection

Nanoplastics are of rapidly emerging concern as ubiquitous environmental pollutants. However, fate and transport assessments are currently hindered by a need for new analytical methods that can selectively quantify nanoplastics in environmental matrices. This study presents the first proof of principle to hyphenate asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) with total organic carbon (TOC) detection for nanoplastics analysis, as evaluated on mixtures of multimodal polystyrene nanoplastics in the presence of dissolved organic matter and clay colloids. The AF4-TOC method enables more robust, size-resolved quantification of nanoplastics over other AF4 detection modes, including UV-vis, refractive index, and fluorescence tagging. This method development can fill a critical gap in analytical methodology for environmental nanoplastics research.

Automated summary

Nanoplastics are emerging as a major environmental concern, but analytical methods for quantifying them in environmental matrices are currently lacking. This study introduced a novel method combining AF4 with TOC detection for size-resolved quantification of nanoplastics, addressing a critical gap in environmental nanoplastics research.