Atomic Force Microscopy in Nanoplastics Research

与此同时，亚微米级的塑料颗粒(纳米塑料颗粒，NPs)在环境中无处不在，因此这些颗粒对不同生态系统的影响和相关风险在很大程度上仍不清楚。由于NPs的空间维度很小，识别/表征NPs是一个重大的实验挑战。此外，目前还没有确定的方法来系统地研究核动力源在相关环境条件下的相互作用。在这种背景下，原子力显微镜是一种很有前途的方法，它可以通过成像程序来确定纳米粒子的大小、形状、粗糙度和可能的团聚。除了成像，显微镜的锐利和局部探头还可以用于研究纳米级的机械、粘合和摩擦特性。然而，这一巨大的潜力还没有被充分利用来表征NPs。因此，目前还没有科学验证的基础来全面评估原子力显微镜在核子研究中的表现。在这个项目的范围内，原子力显微镜将被系统地和自动地应用于核子粒子的表征。主要目标是进行具有统计意义的测量系列，从而能够对原子力显微镜在纳米塑料研究领域的潜力进行科学评估。此外，还将评估原子力显微镜在相关环境中原位研究NPs相互作用的能力。为此，在扫描探针上修饰了纳米粒子，并深入研究了它们在不同环境条件下的相互作用。

Plastic particles of submicrometer size (nanoplastic particles, NPs) are meanwhile omnipresent in the environment, whereby the effects of those particles on different ecological systems and the associated risks are still largely unknown. Due to their small spatial dimensions, the identification/characterization of NPs represents a major experimental challenge. Furthermore, there is currently no established methodology for the systematic investigation of the interactions of NPs under relevant environmental conditions. In this context, atomic force microscopy is a promising methodology, which can be used to determine the size, shape, roughness, and possible agglomerations of NPs by means of an imaging procedure. In addition to imaging, the sharp and local probe of the microscope can also be used to investigating nanoscale mechanical, adhesive, and friction properties. However, this considerable potential has not yet been fully exploited for the characterization of NPs. Consequently, there is currently no scientifically verified basis for a comprehensive assessment of the performance of atomic force microscopy in NPs research. Within the scope of this project, atomic force microscopy will be applied systematically and automatically for the characterization of NPs. The main goal is to carry out statistically significant measurement series, which allow the scientific evaluation of the potential of atomic force microscopy in the field of nanoplastics research. Moreover, the ability of the atomic force microscope to investigate the interactions of NPs in relevant environments in-situ will be evaluated. For this purpose, scanning probes are decorated with NPs and their interactions are thoroughly studied under variation of environmental conditions.