Description: To ensure the safe use of materials, it is crucial to assess their identity and exposure levels. Solid materials such as plastics, metals, and coatings degrade over time, releasing various substances during manufacturing, use, and disposal. The quantity of these releases is typically described by time-dependent rates, which are influenced by the nature and intensity of applied stress, the chemical identity of the polymer or other solid matrix, and the chemical identity and compatibility of embedded engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) or other additives. These releases—including nanomaterials, microplastics, volatile organics, and dissolved ions—depend on material composition, internal structures, and external stresses (mechanical, weathering, thermal).
In this seminar, I will discuss our approach to understanding and quantifying the emissions and behavior of released particles throughout a product’s life cycle. I will present different methodologies to assess various scenarios, including dermal contact, weathering, mechanical stress, and the effects of coupling aging scenarios. Additionally, I will highlight the key factors that control particle release. As the consideration of released entities becomes more routine, such data is used for hazards of the released entities as well as by the industry to produce Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design products.
Furthermore, I will discuss the generation of environmentally relevant microplastics. We developed a methodology that allow us to correlate the amount of release microplastics with energy input, enabling the parameterization of a model for plastic fragmentation throughout product life cycle.
Thursday, February 13, 2025, 12:00-1:15pm Eastern
Field Auditorium, Room 1112, Grainger Hall (9 Circuit Drive, Durham, NC)
This seminar will also be presented live via Panopto. Click HERE for the livestream.