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. Nanoplastics Sign in to save

Photothermal convection-driven highly sensitive in situ detection of nanoplastics in water using an optical fiber SERS probe

Journal of Hazardous Materials 2025 2 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 58 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.
Hengwei Qiu, Fei Zhou, Kuikui Guo, Rang Chu, Rang Chu, Lingling Shui, Ye Liu

Summary

Researchers developed an optical fiber probe coated with gold nanorod clusters that uses laser-induced heat to drive nanoplastics toward the sensor surface, enabling sensitive in-water detection of polystyrene nanoplastics down to 0.32 µg/mL using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy without extracting the sample.

Nanoplastics pose significant environmental and human health risks because of their small size and extensive specific surface area. The detection of nanoplastics in aqueous systems is crucial for environmental monitoring. This study focuses on the in situ detection of nanoplastics in water using fiber-based surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) probes. High-performance fiber SERS probes were prepared using a laser-induced evaporation self-assembly method (LIESAM), which deposited numerous Au-nanorod clusters on the fiber facet, resulting in a large SERS enhancement factor. The optothermal convection surrounding the fiber SERS probes promoted the extensive movement of nanoplastics in water, resulting in increased adsorption of nanoplastics onto the probe surface. This approach achieved high SERS detection sensitivity and excellent spectral reproducibility, with limits of detection of 0.32 and 1.68 μg/mL for 100- and 30-nm polystyrene nanoplastics in deionized water, respectively, with a relative standard deviation (RSD) of < 10 % in spectral peak intensity. The capability of fiber SERS probes for detecting nanoplastics in more complex liquid-phase environments was also investigated. This study presents a novel in situ SERS detection strategy for nanoplastics in water, which offers promising applications for environmental monitoring.

Sign in to start a discussion.

More Papers Like This

Article Tier 2

Identification of polystyrene nanoplastics using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Researchers demonstrated for the first time that surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) using silver nanoparticles can identify polystyrene nanoplastics as small as 50 nm in real water samples, providing a rapid detection method that bypasses conventional sample preparation and could advance environmental monitoring of nanoplastics previously invisible to standard analytical techniques.

Article Tier 2

Dark background–surface enhanced Raman spectroscopic detection of nanoplastics: Thermofluidic strategy

Researchers developed a thermofluidic strategy using dark-background surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) for detecting nanoplastics in water, offering a cost-effective and time-efficient detection approach. The method addresses the lack of universally accepted analytical techniques for nanoplastic detection in environmental samples.

Article Tier 2

Direct Detection of Polystyrene Nanoplastics in Water Using High-sensitivity Surface-enhanced Raman Scattering with Ag Nanoarray Substrates

Researchers developed a fast, sensitive detection method using silver nanostructures and laser light scattering (surface-enhanced Raman scattering) to identify polystyrene nanoplastics in water at concentrations as low as 10 micrograms per milliliter, offering a practical tool for monitoring nanoplastic contamination in real-world water sources.

Article Tier 2

Breaking the Size Barrier: SERS-Based Ultrasensitive Detection and Quantification of Polystyrene Plastics in Real Water Samples

Researchers developed a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) method capable of detecting and quantifying polystyrene plastic particles of various sizes — including nanoplastics — in real environmental water samples at ultrasensitive concentrations.

Article Tier 2

Sub-ppm-level detection of nanoplastics using au nanograting and application to disposable plasticware

A gold nanograting sensor using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) was able to detect polystyrene nanoplastics in water at concentrations as low as 0.1 parts per million — well below the detection limit of standard Raman systems — and was applied to detect nanoplastics leaching from a plastic bowl heated in a microwave. The sensor offers a pathway to rapid, sensitive detection of nanoplastics released from everyday plastic food containers. Knowing how much nanoplastic leaches from heated plasticware is directly relevant to human dietary exposure.

Share this paper