Development of analytical methods for the characterization (particle size determination, identification, and quantification) of the smallest fraction of plastic debris in the environment is a quickly emerging field and has gained considerable attention, not only within the scientific community, but also on the part of policy makers and the general public. As the importance of developing and further improving analytical methodologies for the detection and characterization of sub-20 µm-range microplastics and especially nanoplastics is highlighted and presents the main focus of my research on microplastics presence in the environmental systems.

Selected publications

Velimirovic M., Tirez K., Voorspoels S., Vanhaecke F. (2020) Recent developments in mass spectrometry for the characterization of micro- and nanoscale plastic debris in the environment, Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, Trends paper, just published.

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Bolea-Fernandez E., Rua-Ibarz A., Velimirovic M., Tirez K., and Vanhaecke F. (2020) Detection of microplastics using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) operated in single-event mode. Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry 35: 455-460.

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Nanotechnology is rapidly expanded market of several hundred billion US dollars. As a result, nanoscale materials are already incorporated into many consumer products, including food, packaging, cosmetics, clothing and paint. In order to acess and predict the health and environmental risks of nanomaterials development of advanced characterization methodologies are needed. My research focuses on the development of analytical methods for characterization, understanding environmental processes, and behavior of engineered nanoparticles.

Selected publications

Velimirovic M., Wagner S., Koeber R., Hofmann T., and von der Kammer F. (2020) Intra-laboratory assessment of a method for the detection of TiO2 nanoparticles present in sunscreens based on multi-detector asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation. NanoImpact 100233

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Velimirovic M., Wagner S., Abdolahpur Monikh F., Uusimäki, T., Kaegi, R., Hofmann, T., and von der Kammer F. (2020) Accurate quantification of TiO₂ nanoparticles in commercial sunscreens using standard materials and orthogonal particle sizing methods for verification. Talanta 120921.

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Velimirovic M., Bianco, C., Ferrantello, N., Tosco, T., Casasso, A., Sethi, R., Schmid, D., Wagner, S., Miyajima, K., Klaas, N., Meckenstock, R.U., von der Kammer, F., Hofmann T. (2020) A Large-Scale 3D Study on Transport of Humic Acid-Coated Goethite Nanoparticles for Aquifer Remediation. Water 12(4): 1207.

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Micić V., Schmid D., Bossa N., Gondikas A., Velimirovic M., von der Kammer V., Wiesner M.R., and T. Hofmann (2017) Impact of sodium humate coating on collector surfaces on deposition of polymer-coated nano-iron particles. Environmental Science & Technology 51(16): 9202–9209.

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