Back to papers
0
Article ? AI-assigned paper type based on the abstract. Classification may not be perfect — flag errors using the feedback button. Tier 2 ? Original research — experimental, observational, or case-control study. Direct primary evidence. Detection Methods Nanoplastics Remediation Sign in to save

B2.4 - Nanoelectromechanical System Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (NEMS-FTIR) for Nanoplastic and Polymer Degradation Analysis

Lectures 2025 1 citation ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Jelena Timarac-Popović, Ariane Giesriegl, H. Besic, Hajrudin Bešić, Silvan Schmid, Johannes Hiesberger, Niklas Luhmann, Josiane Lafleur

Summary

Researchers developed a highly sensitive technique combining nanoelectromechanical systems with infrared spectroscopy (NEMS-FTIR) that can detect as little as 1 nanogram of polystyrene or polypropylene nanoplastic particles as small as 54 nm in diameter. This breakthrough in detection sensitivity could greatly improve researchers' ability to identify and characterize nanoplastics — the tiniest and hardest-to-detect form of plastic pollution — in environmental and biological samples.

Polymers
PP PS

We introduce a novel application of photothermal infrared spectroscopy based on nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS), integrated with a commercially available FTIR spectrometer (NEMS-FTIR).We successfully detected 1 ng of polystyrene (PS) and 1 ng of polypropylene (PP) nanoplastic particles with diameters of 100 nm and 54 nm, respectively.As a case study, we detected small amounts of degradation products originating from plastic tubing.The technique enabled high-resolution spectral identification of samples from microliter to nanoliter volumes on NEMS chips.

Read via DOI Download PDF

Share this paper

Post Share Share Pin Email