EAGER: CAS-MNP: Effect of Sunlight on Fate and Transport of Nanoplastics and Associated Organic Pollutants in Aquatic Systems

在NSF化学部和NSF综合活动办公室NSF 2026基金项目的支持下，新奥尔良大学的Matthew Tarr教授和Phoebe Zito教授研究纳米塑料。在海洋中发现了越来越多的非常小的塑料颗粒(微塑料和纳米塑料)，可能对水生生物的健康构成威胁。河流、湖泊和海洋是人类生活的必需品。这些系统包含一个复杂的有机体网络，可能会受到污染物的严重影响。污染物的组合往往比单一污染物产生更大的破坏性影响。纳米塑料(其尺寸从一纳米到大约一微米)在用过的塑料饮料瓶、洗衣房的衣物纤维和其他塑料来源的分解中形成。该项目研究阳光如何改变纳米塑料及其对水生生物的影响。阳光中的能量可以分解纳米塑料，但人们对其产生的材料知之甚少。该项目的数据提供了有关阳光如何以及以多快的速度帮助消除纳米塑料或导致它们对水生生物更危险的新信息。该项目还直接解决了IDEA Machine前33个条目之一：“想象一个清洁海洋的生活。”该项目为研究生、本科生和高中生提供了研究机会。纳米塑料模型暴露在模拟的阳光下。实验评估了发生的物理和化学变化。利用高分辨率质谱仪和红外光谱仪对光化学降解产物进行了测定。简单的毒性筛查可以监测感光产品的潜在影响。使用动态光散射和电子显微镜来评估物理变化。使用成熟的化学探针方法观察到反应物瞬变的光产生。在溶解天然有机物存在的情况下，研究评估纳米塑料作为自由基清除剂的影响，改变间接光降解，这通常发生在自然水域中。纳米塑料对重要分子污染物光化学的影响是通过用纳米塑料和不用纳米塑料照射模型污染物来评估的。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

With support from the NSF Division of Chemistry and the NSF 2026 Fund Program in the NSF Office of Integrated Activities, Professor Matthew Tarr and Professor Phoebe Zito at the University of New Orleans study nanoplastics. Very small plastic particles (microplastics and nanoplastics) have been found in increasing amounts in oceans and may be a threat to the health of aquatic organisms. Rivers, lakes, and oceans are essential to human life. These systems contain a complex web of organisms that can be severely impacted by pollutants. Combinations of pollutants often have more damaging impacts than one pollutant alone. Nanoplastics (which have sizes from a nanometer up to about a micron) form in the breakdown of used plastic drink bottles, clothing fibers from laundry, and other sources of plastic. This project studies how sunlight changes nanoplastics and their impact on aquatic organisms. The energy in sunlight can break down nanoplastics, but very little is known about the resulting materials. The data from this project give new information on how and how fast sunlight helps eliminate nanoplastics or causes them to be more dangerous to aquatic organisms. The project also directly addresses one of the top thirty-three Idea Machine entries: "Imagine a Life with Clean Oceans." The project provides research opportunities for graduate, undergraduate and high school students.Model nanoplastics are exposed to simulated sunlight. Experiments assess both physical and chemical changes that occur. Photochemical degradation products are determined using high resolution mass spectrometry and infrared spectroscopy. Simple toxicity screenings monitor potential impacts of the photoproducts. Physical changes are assessed using dynamic light scattering and electron microscopy. Photoproduction of reactant transients is observed using well-established chemical probe methods. Studies in the presence of dissolved natural organic matter evaluate the impacts of nanoplastics as free radical scavengers that alter indirect photodegradation, which normally occurs in natural waters. The impact of nanoplastics on the photochemistry of important molecular pollutants is evaluated through irradiation of model pollutants with and without nanoplastics.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.