Single particle ICP-TOFMS for the detection of micro-scale polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride from artificially aged bulk plastic

Summary

Researchers developed a new analytical method using single-particle mass spectrometry (SP ICP-TOFMS) to simultaneously detect polystyrene and PVC microplastics based on their carbon and chlorine content. The method was tested on artificially aged plastic samples, demonstrating it can distinguish between different polymer types at the individual particle level. Improving detection methods like this is essential for accurately tracking microplastics in complex environmental samples where multiple polymer types coexist.