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Thermally reconfigurable dielectric metasurfaces for sensitive detection of microplastic particles in the mid-infrared
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Researchers developed a special sensor surface, made of heat-adjustable materials, designed to detect tiny plastic particles using infrared light. In lab testing, this device aimed to improve detection of microplastics and similar plastic contaminants that normally produce only weak signals, making them hard to spot with standard methods.
Microplastic particles are pervasive environmental contaminants, yet reliable detection of micrometer-scale polymers using mid-infrared spectroscopy remains challenging due to their weak absorption and the limited sensitivity of conventional spectroscopic techniques. We report a thermally reconfigurable, all-dielectric surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) platform specifically designed for sensitive detection of polymer beads. The proposed platform offers a versatile route toward tunable, high-sensitivity infrared sensing of microplastics and other weakly absorbing polymeric contaminants.
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Researchers demonstrated that photothermal infrared heterodyne imaging can identify and visualize micro- and nanoplastic particles in complex environmental samples at sub-micrometer resolution. The technique overcomes the resolution limits of conventional infrared spectroscopy and can detect individual plastic particles far smaller than previously possible.
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Researchers proposed a controlled infrared spectroscopy/photometry integration system for detecting micro- and nanoplastics, using a diffraction grating controller to tune the geometry etendue of the display unit and yield a universal spectrometer/photometer capable of identifying plastic particles across size ranges.
A metal-insulator-metal waveguide-based plasmonic refractive index sensor for the detection of nanoplastics in water
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Researchers designed a light-based sensor using a metal-insulator-metal waveguide and square-ring resonator that can detect nanoplastics in water at extremely low concentrations by measuring tiny changes in how light bends through the sample. The optimized sensor achieved a sensitivity of 2700 nm/RIU, making it a promising tool for detecting minute levels of plastic contamination in water.
Quasi‐Bound States in the Continuum Calibrated Broadband Metasurface Enhanced Mid‐Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy
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Researchers developed a new infrared metasurface sensor design that uses quasi-bound states in the continuum as a built-in calibration reference for broadband molecular fingerprinting. The sensor enables trace-level detection and accurate spectral identification across a wide mid-infrared range. While focused on advancing sensing technology, this approach could have applications in detecting and identifying microplastic contaminants based on their chemical signatures.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.