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ToF‐SIMS characterization of microplastics in soils
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Researchers applied time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) to characterize microplastics in soil samples, demonstrating the technique's ability to identify polymer types and surface chemical properties at high spatial resolution. The study proposes ToF-SIMS as a valuable complementary tool for microplastic detection in terrestrial environments where current analytical methods remain inconsistent.
Microplastics pollution is becoming one of the most serious threats to the surface ecosystem of the earth; it is widespread in oceans, rivers, sediments, soils, and organisms. It is a growing concern as an environmental pollutant, which currently has no clear detection standard. Detection methods still need to be constantly supplemented and improved. This study explored a novel method called time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS) in this field. Four types of microplastics in farmland soils, namely, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, and polyamide 6, were successfully identified in terms of particle size and abundance by combining the high molecular specificity with ion imaging capability of ToF‐SIMS. The procedure based on ToF‐SIMS analysis also provides a methodological reference and basic data for the investigation and research of microplastics in soil, coastal beaches, and sediment.
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This study applied time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) to image and chemically characterize microplastic particles from cosmetic products and environmental samples at high resolution. The technique enables detailed surface chemical analysis of small plastic particles, adding a powerful analytical tool to the microplastic detection toolkit.
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Researchers extracted and characterized microplastics from agricultural soil near a plastics manufacturing site, finding a range of polymer types and shapes and demonstrating an effective isolation protocol using density flotation with saturated NaCl.
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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.