This week was short with only three days, which didn’t leave much time to work. As I mentioned last week, I started the PFOA gradient project. Last Friday, I dropcasted the particles mixed with ligands, and they were dry by Monday. I scanned them without the PFOA and then dropcasted the PFOA solution. I hoped they would be dry by Tuesday, but they were still wet, which meant I couldn’t scan them.

I also decided it would be important to have a control spectrum of just bare particles (not mixed with ligands) dropcasted with PFOA. This way, we can determine if the ligands (pDT) enhance the ability to detect PFOA at lower concentrations using SEIRA. In total, I had about 20 samples that needed time to dry, and by Wednesday, only six were dry.

With not much to do in the lab, I spent some time reading about PFAS, particularly the 3M scandal where the company convinced a scientist to keep quiet about finding PFAS in blood and their negative effects when they accumulate. This reading piqued my scientific curiosity because, while we can detect PFAS and there are methods to remove them from water, these methods often involve using materials like activated carbon that attract and capture PFAS. However, once these materials are saturated, the question arises: how do we dispose of them?

I asked my mentor about this, and I learned that we don’t have a good way to dispose of PFAS. The C-F bond is incredibly hard to break, and while there are some methods available, they require a lot of energy and pose a risk of releasing PFAS back into the environment. This highlights the importance of our research and the need for more sustainable solutions.