Division/Committee: [COLL: Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry]

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are surface-active molecules composed of a hydrophilic “head” group attached to an alkyl “tail”. PFAS have fluorinated alkyl tails, which are hydrophobic (water repelling), oleophobic/lipophobic (oil/fat repelling), and extremely stable. These properties drove widespread adoption of PFAS in stain-resistant, waterproof, oil-resistant coatings for fabrics, carpets, furniture, clothing, for low adhesion (non-stick) cookware, as well as for materials used in the aerospace, automotive, construction, and electronics industries. PFAS’ amphiphilicity drives adsorption at air-water interfaces. As such, PFAS are widely used in firefighting foams used to blanket fuel fires, deprive them of oxygen, and extinguish them. PFAS’ remarkable chemical stability is now a massive societal problem. Termed “forever chemicals”, PFAS persist indefinitely in the environment, in food and water supplies, and bioaccumulate in living entities, including in humans, with potential adverse health impacts. This symposium will focus on scalable, effective, green means to remove PFAS pollutants from water with particular emphasis on additives that sequester or enable sequestration of PFAS via fundamental colloidal interactions.

Robert Riggleman

University of Pennsylvania

Appearances