Nanomaterials are surging in interest for a variety of applications: medicine, agriculture and more. However, the environmental effects of nanoscale materials such as nanoplastics are of increasing concern. Beyond potential toxicities of the nanomaterials themselves, nanoparticles can serve as carriers of other chemicals, for example active pharmaceutical ingredients or environmental pollutants.
The challenges associated with detecting and characterizing nanomaterials in the environment include exposure to a complex matrix that can interfere with their detection and may induce particle degradation, chemical release or other transformations.
Multi-detector asymmetric-flow field–flow fractionation (MD-AF4) is a versatile technique for separating nanoparticles from complex matrices and characterizing their size and compositional analysis.
About this webinar:
This webinar will present new developments, covering two applications: (1) monitoring drug release from nanoparticles in biomedical applications and (2) detecting heavy metal uptake onto nanoplastics in environmental samples. MD-AF4 analysis provides key benefits for evaluating sample composition and changes over time. Watch a preview below.
What detectors are recommended for FFF separation and what information does each provide?
Key learning objectives:
- How AF4 separates complex mixtures of macromolecules and nanoparticles into a continuous size distribution
- The benefits of coupling AF4 with multiple detection modules, including light scattering, for comprehensive analysis of the composition of each population in the sample
- How size-resolved MD-AF4 analyses provide valuable information in both mechanistic research studies and quality assessments
About the event speakers:
Stacey Louie is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Houston (UH). Her expertise is in the field of environmental nanotechnology, including applications of nanoparticles for water treatment and active ingredient delivery, as well as the detection and fate of nanomaterials of emerging concern, such as nanoplastics.
Dr. Louie has been recognized as an emerging investigator by FMC Corporation and two Royal Society of Chemistry journals, and her work is supported by federal grants for both research and education related to characterization of nanomaterials and their applications and effects.
