TY - CONF A1 - Thünemann, Andreas T1 - Development of Reference Materials for Determination of Nanoplastics in Aqueous Media N2 - A lack of harmonised terminology hinders accurate description of many nano-object properties. An overview on nanoscale reference materials for environmental , health and safety measurements has been provided by Stefaniak et al. Since then several nanoscale reference materials were produced as finely dispersed nanoparticles, including catalytic active silver nanoparticles and iron oxide nanocubes. Polymeric nanoparticles made of polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) are ongoing reference materials projects. A first study on PP has shown that mechanical breakdown of macroscopic PP towards nano PP is possible. Hereby the nano PP is stabilized by a strongly negative zeta potential of – 44 mV. This provides a long-term stability of the nanoparticles at ambient conditions in cases of low ionic strength. Since this nano PP has no added colloidal stabilizers, we suggest this as a potential reference materials candidate for reliable determination PP nanoplastics. Moreover, the nano PP may function as a reference for the estimation of possible toxic effects of nanoplastics. Efforts in producing nano PP labeled with ultra-small gold nanoparticles are reported. T2 - 22nd European Symposium on Polymer Spectroscopy CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 08.09.2024 KW - Nanoparticles KW - Nanoplastics PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-61006 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Thünemann, Andreas T1 - Nanoplastics Aqueous Dispersions as Polymer Reference Materials for a Sustainable Future N2 - The undesirable presence of micro and nanoplastics in our environment and in food is now common knowledge. However, it is unclear whether serious dangers and risks are posed by nanoplastics. A scientifically based reliable determination of the type and quantity of nanoplastics in complex matrices is of considerable importance for the future sustainable use of polymers. Here, reference materials help in the determination of nanoplastics. In particular, colloidally stable aqueous dispersions of nanoplastics appear suitable for this purpose. We report on the current status of the development of nanoplastics as reference materials. A detailed example of reference materials for characterizing nanoplastics is provided in the form of aqueous dispersion of polypropylene. The nanoplastics samples are colloidal stable for at least two years at ambient conditions. A low zeta potential of -35 mV at a neutral pH value provides stability. An overview of their colloidal properties in different environmental conditions is presented. Next, polyethylene nanoplastics will be compared to polypropylene nanoplastics. Nanoplastics consisting of poly(ethylene terephthalate) will be discussed and finally, we report on poly(L-lactic acid) as a typical and important representative of biodegradable polymers. T2 - POLYMERS FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE: Biennial Meeting of the GDCh-Division of Macromolecular Chemistry CY - Dresden, Germany DA - 16.09.2024 KW - Reference Material PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-61079 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Thünemann, Andreas T1 - Structure Analysis of Functional Hydrogels with Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) N2 - Hydrogel properties are largely determined by their network structure. Here, we report on the capabilities of SAXS methods for characterizing polymer-network gels. SAXS provides rich insight into different types and levels of nanostructural inhomogeneities in these soft matter materials. The structure analysis of alginate hydrogels, typically utilized in tissue engineering applications, will be discussed in detail. T2 - Polydays 2024 CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 30.09.2024 KW - SAXS KW - Small-angle X-ray scattering KW - Polymer KW - Gel PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-61184 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -