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High-Throughput Analyses of Microplastic Samples Using Fourier Transform Infrared and Raman Spectrometry
Summary
Researchers developed GEPARD, an open-source software package that combines optical particle analysis with automated FT-IR and Raman microspectroscopy to enable high-throughput identification and characterization of microplastics. The system steers spectroscopic measurements based on optically detected particles, enabling efficient polymer typing, size distribution measurement, and color classification.
Determining microplastics in environmental samples quickly and reliably is a challenging task. With a largely automated combination of optical particle analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), and Raman microscopy along with spectral database search, particle sizes, particle size distributions, and the type of polymer including particle color can be determined. We present a self-developed, open-source software package for realizing a particle analysis approach with both Raman and FT-IR microspectroscopy. Our software GEPARD (Gepard Enabled PARticle Detection) allows for acquiring an optical image, then detects particles and uses this information to steer the spectroscopic measurement. This ultimately results in a multitude of possibilities for efficiently reviewing, correcting, and reporting all obtained results.