Gold nanoparticles-anchored peptides enable precise colorimetric estimation of microplastics

Jindi Zhao; Yongqiang Ruan; Zhe Zheng; Yunhan Li; Muhammad Sohail; Fanghui Hu; Jiahuan Ling; Lihui Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.106823

Gold nanoparticles-anchored peptides enable precise colorimetric estimation of microplastics

iScience. 2023 May 8;26(6):106823. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106823. eCollection 2023 Jun 16.

Authors

Jindi Zhao¹, Yongqiang Ruan¹, Zhe Zheng¹, Yunhan Li¹, Muhammad Sohail¹, Fanghui Hu¹, Jiahuan Ling¹, Lihui Zhang¹

Affiliation

¹ School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China.

Abstract

Microplastics (MPs, particle size < 5 mm) are an emerging contaminant in aquatic environment, which have attracted increasing attention worldwide. In this study, a colorimetric method for MPs detection was developed based on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs)-anchored peptides (LCI or TA2), which are able to specifically recognize and adhere to polypropylene (PP) or polystyrene (PS). The AuNPs-anchored peptides accumulated on the surface of MPs, rendering a color change from red to gray-blue and transforming the surface plasmon absorption intensity and wavelength. The designed method presented high selectivity, stability, and reproducibility, with a detection range of 2.5-15 μg/mL. The results demonstrated that the developed approach will be valuable in the precise, facile, and cost-effective estimation of MPs in different matrices, regulating the control over MPs pollution and its hazardous impact on health and ecosystems.

Keywords: Environmental toxicology; Hazard identification; Microenvironment.