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Peptide-Decorated Microneedles for the Detection of Microplastics
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Researchers developed a new sensor using tiny microneedles coated with specially designed peptides that can capture and detect microplastics. The peptides bind to the hydrophobic surfaces of plastic particles, and Raman spectroscopy confirms the capture. This technology could make it easier and faster to test for microplastic contamination in water, food, and other environmental samples.
The escalating utilization of plastics in daily life has resulted in pervasive environmental pollution and consequent health hazards. The challenge of detecting and capturing microplastics, which are imperceptible to the naked eye, is exacerbated by their diminutive size, hydrophobic surface properties, and capacity to absorb organic compounds. This study focuses on the application of peptides, constituted of specific amino acid sequences, and microneedles for the rapid and selective identification of microplastics. Peptides, due to their smaller size and greater environmental stability compared with antibodies, emerge as a potent solution to overcome the limitations inherent in existing detection methodologies. To immobilize peptides onto microneedles, this study employed microneedles embedded with gold nanorods, augmenting them with sulfhydryl (SH) groups at the peptides' termini. The sensor developed through this methodology exhibited efficient peptide binding to the microneedle tips, thereby facilitating the capture of microplastics. Raman spectroscopy was employed for the detection of microplastics, with the results demonstrating successful attachment to the microneedles. This novel approach not only facilitates localized analysis but also presents a viable strategy for the detection of microplastics across diverse environmental settings.
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This conference abstract describes the development of a microneedle-based sensor to enhance the sensitivity of microplastic detection, using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Improving detection sensitivity is important for identifying microplastics in biological and environmental samples at low concentrations.
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This study describes a sensor technology using gold nanoparticles coated with plastic-binding peptides to detect and identify small plastic particles in the environment. Developing rapid, accurate detection methods is a critical step toward understanding how much microplastic contamination exists in water and other environments, and this approach offers a potentially faster and more sensitive alternative to conventional identification techniques.
Microfluidic Detection and Analysis of Microplastics Using Surface Nanodroplets
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Researchers developed a microfluidic device that uses tiny surface droplets to capture and analyze microplastics as small as 10 micrometers from water samples. The captured particles can be examined under a microscope and identified by type using Raman spectroscopy without removing them from the device. The method offers a simpler, faster, and more affordable way to detect small microplastics compared to conventional filtration techniques.
Enhanced mid-IR detection characteristics of microplastics and nanoplastics using gold nanorods cluster at microneedle tips
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This study developed a highly sensitive detection platform using gold nanorods clustered at the tips of tiny microneedles — coated with a peptide that selectively binds polystyrene — to identify microplastics and nanoplastics using infrared spectroscopy. The system successfully detected polystyrene particles at concentrations as low as 0.1 mg/mL, outperforming standard spectroscopy methods. The technology could eventually support rapid, precise identification of nanoplastics in environmental and biological samples, where detection remains a major challenge.
Identification of Microplastics Using a Custom Built Micro-Raman Spectrometer
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