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Fiber Laser-Backscattered Optofluidic Sensor for Ultrasensitive and Wide-Range Nanoplastic Quantification
Summary
Scientists have built a super-sensitive sensor that can detect tiny plastic particles (as small as 1/500th the width of a human hair) in water, using a laser and fiber-optic technology instead of expensive lab equipment. This matters because nanoplastics are increasingly found in our water, food, and even bodies, but until now they've been hard to detect and measure quickly outside a specialized lab—this tool could make on-the-spot testing of drinking water and other sources far more practical.
We report a fiber laser-backscattered optofluidic sensor (FLOS) for label-free, non-destructive quantification of nanoplastics (NPLs) from 20 nm to 1000 nm. A Mie-regime detection model reveals optimal sensitivity at 200 nm due to constructive interference of backward scattering modes. The sensor integrates a high-NA fiber probe (NA = 0.37) with a fiber-embedded optofluidic chip, achieving a limit of detection of 0.021 µg/mL for 200 nm polystyrene NPLs. The broad applicability to other five polymer types and operational robustness in natural water matrices are demonstrated, establishing a new platform for on-site NPLs monitoring.