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Contact-Accessible Silver Nanoparticle-Decorated Electrospun Carbon Fibers for Microplastics Detection by SERS
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Scientists developed a new way to detect microplastics (tiny plastic particles) using special silver-coated carbon fibers that can spot these particles much better than current methods. This technology works best on extremely small plastic particles and could help us better identify microplastic contamination in our environment. Better detection of microplastics is important because these particles are increasingly found in our food, water, and air, but we still don't fully understand their health effects.
Reliable detection of microplastics by surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is often hindered by poor particle–substrate contact and limited access to plasmonic hotspots on conventional planar substrates optimized for molecular adsorption. Here, we report a rapid microwave-assisted carbothermal shock strategy to fabricate silver nanoparticle-decorated electrospun carbon fibers (AgNPs@ECF) as a three-dimensional plasmonic platform tailored for solid microplastic sensing. Localized microwave-induced heating in a mixed ethanol–hexane system enables Ag nanoparticle nucleation and anchoring on conductive carbon fibers within 45 s, yielding a mechanically compliant, junction-rich architecture without chemical reductants or vacuum processing. The AgNPs@ECF composite was evaluated using morphologically weathered polystyrene (PS) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics, along with size-controlled PS bead standards ranging from ~50 nm to 45 μm. Across these models, SERS response is governed primarily by particle–substrate contact geometry and near-field accessibility rather than polymer type. The strongest enhancement occurs in the sub-micrometer regime, where particles can engage multiple AgNP-decorated fiber junctions, while ultrasmall and large, smooth particles show reduced enhancement due to limited contact or rapid field decay. Spatially resolved Raman mapping and finite-difference time-domain simulations support a contact-dominated enhancement mechanism, revealing localized field confinement at particle–fiber interfaces. These results establish the design principles for three-dimensional SERS substrates targeting heterogeneous solid particulates, demonstrating that contact-accessible plasmonic architectures are critical for reliable microplastic detection under realistic solid-particle measurement conditions.
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Researchers developed a highly sensitive SERS-based substrate for detecting nanoplastic particles in water at very low concentrations. Improved detection tools for nanoplastics are essential for monitoring their presence in drinking water and understanding exposure risks to human health.
Co-Self-Assembled Monolayer Enables Sensitive SERS Detection of Nanoplastics via Spontaneous Hotspot Entrapment
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Researchers developed a new detection method that can identify and measure nanoplastics at concentrations as low as 0.01 micrograms per milliliter by trapping the tiny particles within a single layer of silver nanoparticles. The technique uses surface-enhanced Raman scattering, which amplifies the chemical signal of nanoplastics that are spontaneously captured in the detection hotspots. This approach offers a faster and more sensitive way to monitor nanoplastic pollution in water compared to existing methods.
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Researchers developed a new sensor using nickel oxide and silver nanoparticles that can detect tiny micro and nanoplastics in beverages at very low concentrations. The sensor uses a technique called SERS (surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy) to identify plastic particles that are too small for conventional methods to catch. This tool could help monitor microplastic contamination in drinks, providing better data about how much plastic people are consuming.
Rapid and Selective Microplastics Detection in Water Using a Cost-Effective CS–TA-Functionalized E-SMS Optical Fiber Sensor
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Scientists have developed a cheap, fast sensor made from a specially coated optical fiber that can detect tiny traces of polyethylene—one of the most common plastics found in water—at extremely low levels. This matters because microplastics in our water supply are hard to detect with current tools, and better, more affordable detection methods could help researchers and water treatment facilities track contamination before it reaches our drinking water and bodies. While this is a promising step for monitoring technology, more research is needed to test it in real-world water sources beyond the lab.
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Scientists have developed a new silver-coated sensor that can detect and identify individual plastic particles smaller than 200 nanometers, far tinier than a human hair, in real-world samples like rainwater and food containers. This matters because these ultra-tiny nanoplastics are small enough to potentially slip past the body's natural defenses and enter cells, but until now they've been extremely hard to spot and measure accurately. This new tool could help researchers better track exactly how much of this smallest, most concerning plastic pollution is in our environment and food supply.
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