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Rational design of AuNPs-decorated MOFs/Cu2O: p-n heterojunction and plasmonic synergy for enhanced SERS detection of microplastics
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Scientists have developed a new sensor technology that can quickly detect tiny plastic particles—down to sizes smaller than a human cell—in everyday drinks and water sources like beer, tea, river water, and tap water. The device combines special materials that trap and "light up" microplastics, making them easier to spot with a portable scanner, which could help track this pollutant in what we eat and drink far faster than current lab methods. While this study focused on building a better detection tool rather than testing health effects, more reliable ways to find microplastics in our food and water are an important step toward understanding their potential risks to human health.
The pervasive presence of microplastics (MPs) in aquatic environmental and food samples poses growing threats to ecological safety and public health, underscoring an urgent demand for robust and sensitive analytical techniques. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) offers a promising alternative, but simultaneously achieving high sensitivity, enrichment efficiency, and reproducibility remains challenging. To address this, a rationally designed SERS substrate that integrates plasmonic Au nanoparticles with MOFs/CuO p-n and Schottky heterojunction composites (AuNPs-MOFs/CuO). Specifically, NH-MIL-101(Fe,Co) enabled efficient MPs enrichment and charge-transfer promotion, AuNPs generated localized electromagnetic hotspots, and CuO facilitated photogenerated electron transport, collectively enhancing both electromagnetic and chemical SERS contributions. Benefiting from these synergistic effects, sensitive and reliable detection of MPs with different sizes (100 nm, 1, 10, and 50 μm) and polymer types (PP, PS, PET, PE, PVC, and PA) was achieved. The method exhibited wide linear ranges (r > 0.9791), low detection limits (0.119-120.1 mg L), satisfactory recoveries (77.0-95.7%), and good reproducibility (RSD < 14.3%). Robust anti-interference performance was maintained under varying pH conditions and in the presence of common interferents (recoveries > 70%), and successful application was demonstrated in real samples, including beer, cola, tea, river water, and tap water. Moreover, coupling with a portable Raman spectrometer enabled rapid on-site analysis. This work provides a simple, reliable, and portable SERS strategy for monitoring MPs in complex environmental and food matrices.
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