Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

One-step detection of nanoplastics in aquatic environments using a portable SERS chessboard substrate

Researchers developed a portable surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection platform that captures and identifies nanoplastics from water samples in under one minute using silver nanoparticle-enhanced filter substrates, achieving a detection limit of 0.001 mg/mL for polystyrene nanoplastics across sizes from 30 to 1000 nm.

2024 Talanta 10 citations
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.

2025 Analytical Chemistry
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.

2020 Talanta 207 citations
Article Tier 2

On-Site Detection of Nanoplastics in Liquid Phase by SERS Method

Researchers developed an on-site detection method for nanoplastics in liquid samples using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), achieving sensitive identification without the laboratory infrastructure required by conventional GC-MS approaches. The SERS method successfully differentiated nanoplastic types in environmental water samples, offering a practical tool for rapid field-deployable nanoplastic monitoring.

2025
Article Tier 2

In situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for detecting microplastics and nanoplastics in aquatic environments

This study evaluated surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) as a method for detecting and identifying microplastics and nanoplastics in aquatic environments, demonstrating its potential for detecting particles too small for conventional spectroscopy while noting remaining challenges for field deployment.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 333 citations
Article Tier 2

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for the detection of microplastics

Researchers developed a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy method using gold nanoparticles to detect polystyrene microplastics at concentrations as low as 6.5 micrograms per milliliter, offering a new tool for detecting sub-micron plastic pollutants in water.

2022 Applied Surface Science 140 citations
Article Tier 2

In situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for the detection of nanoplastics: A novel approach inspired by the aging of nanoplastics

Researchers developed a novel in-situ SERS (surface-enhanced Raman scattering) detection method for nanoplastics that exploits UV photoaging to generate silver nanoparticles directly on particle surfaces, enabling highly sensitive identification of polystyrene, PVC, and PET nanoplastics in real lake water samples at concentrations as low as 1 × 10⁻⁶ mg/mL.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantification of trace polystyrene nanoplastics in aquatic environments using hybrid substrates of gold-loaded dendritic mesoporous silica and silver-decorated graphene nanosheets for surface-enhanced Raman scattering analysis

Researchers developed a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection platform using a hybrid gold-silica and silver-graphene substrate to detect polystyrene nanoplastics in water at concentrations as low as 0.1 μg/mL, achieving 91–109% recovery rates in real lake, ocean, and polluted ditch water samples.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-Self-Assembled Monolayer Enables Sensitive SERS Detection of Nanoplastics via Spontaneous Hotspot Entrapment

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.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Hydrophobicity-driven self-assembly of nanoplastics and silver nanoparticles for the detection of polystyrene microspheres using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Researchers developed a highly sensitive method for detecting nanoplastic particles using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) on a super-hydrophobic (water-repelling) surface that concentrates the particles into a small spot. The technique detected polystyrene nanoplastics at concentrations as low as 0.5 mg/L, far below what conventional approaches can achieve. Better detection tools for nanoplastics are urgently needed since these ultra-small particles are the hardest to find yet potentially the most biologically hazardous fraction of plastic pollution.

2023 Chemosphere 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Superhydrophobic Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) Substrates for Sensitive Detection of Trace Nanoplastics in Water

Researchers developed a new method to detect extremely small nanoplastics in water by combining a water-repelling surface that concentrates particles with a technique called SERS that amplifies their chemical signal. The method can identify common nanoplastics like polystyrene and PMMA at very low concentrations, which is an important step toward monitoring these tiny pollutants that are difficult to detect with current tools.

2025 Analytical Chemistry 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantitative analysis of microplastics in seawater based on SERS internal standard method

Researchers developed a new method using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) to quantitatively detect microplastics in seawater. By using an internal standard approach, they improved accuracy compared to existing techniques that struggle with particles smaller than one micrometer. The method offers a more sensitive and practical way to measure microplastic concentrations in marine environments.

2024 Analytical Methods 9 citations
Article Tier 2

A novel real-time detection SERS method for rapid detection of marine nanoplastics via size-dependent combination analysis of Au@Ag-Polystyrene

Researchers developed a real-time SERS detection method using silver-coated gold nanoparticles (Au@Ag) to rapidly detect nanoplastics in marine conditions, demonstrating that particle diameter significantly enhances SERS performance and enabling low-concentration nanoplastic detection directly in seawater solution.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin
Article Tier 2

Upscaling sample size for microscopical detection of nanoplastics

Researchers developed a method to detect nanoplastic particles in a full liter of seawater — far more than the tiny droplet-sized samples typical techniques require. By combining chemical purification steps with a special membrane filter that amplifies Raman signals (SERS), they could identify individual nanoplastics down to nanometer scale. This advance matters because nanoplastics are the smallest and potentially most harmful plastic fragments, yet they have been almost impossible to detect in realistic environmental samples until now.

2023
Article Tier 2

Detecting polystyrene nanoplastics using filter paper-based surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Researchers developed a filter paper-based surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) method for detecting polystyrene nanoplastics, achieving a detection limit of 10 μg/mL using gold nanoparticles deposited on filter paper with only 50 μL sample volume.

2022 RSC Advances 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantitative and sensitive analysis of polystyrene nanoplastics down to 50 nm by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy in water

Researchers developed a highly sensitive method using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy to detect and quantify polystyrene nanoplastics as small as 50 nanometers in water samples. The technique achieved detection limits far below what conventional methods can measure, enabling the identification of nanoplastics at environmentally relevant concentrations. This advancement addresses a critical gap in nanoplastic monitoring, as most existing methods cannot reliably detect particles at such small sizes.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 123 citations
Article Tier 2

Raman Tweezers for Small Microplastics and Nanoplastics Identification in Seawater

Researchers used Raman tweezers - optical tweezers combined with Raman spectroscopy - to capture and chemically identify individual small microplastic and nanoplastic particles in seawater samples in situ. This novel technique could enable real-time identification of the smallest plastic particles in marine environments, filling a critical gap in nano- and micro-plastic detection.

2019 Environmental Science & Technology 329 citations
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.

2025 Sensors and Materials
Article Tier 2

Sensitive and rapid detection of trace microplastics concentrated through Au-nanoparticle-decorated sponge on the basis of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

A gold nanoparticle-decorated sponge substrate was developed for concentrating trace microplastics followed by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy identification, achieving sensitive detection of polystyrene, polyethylene, and PET particles at very low concentrations from water samples with minimal sample preparation.

2021 Environmental Advances 58 citations
Article Tier 2

Strategies and Challenges of Identifying Nanoplastics in Environment by Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

Researchers reviewed the use of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) as a tool for detecting nanoplastics, which are plastic particles smaller than one micrometer. The study found that SERS offers high sensitivity for identifying individual nanoparticles, but significant challenges remain in applying this technique to complex environmental samples. The review outlines strategies for improving SERS-based nanoplastic detection to better assess environmental and health risks.

2022 Environmental Science & Technology 170 citations
Article Tier 2

Controllable preparation of mesoporous spike gold nanocrystals for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy detection of micro/nanoplastics in water

Researchers developed a novel detection method combining membrane filtration and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) using specially synthesized spiked gold nanocrystals to detect nanoplastics in water. The method can simultaneously enrich and detect nanoplastic particles as small as 20 nanometers, addressing a significant gap in reliable detection techniques for these small plastic contaminants that have been found in human blood and placenta.

2023 Environmental Research 29 citations
Article Tier 2

The onset of surface-enhanced Raman scattering for single-particle detection of submicroplastics

Researchers demonstrated surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) using gold nanourchins as a detection method for submicroplastic polystyrene particles at the single-particle level, addressing a critical monitoring gap for plastics smaller than 1 micrometer. The approach offers a promising analytical solution for detecting submicron and nanoplastics that conventional techniques cannot reliably quantify.

2022 Journal of Environmental Sciences 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Advanced microplastic monitoring using Raman spectroscopy with a combination of nanostructure-based substrates

Researchers reviewed advances in Raman spectroscopy and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) — a technique that amplifies light signals using metallic nanostructures — for detecting micro- and nanoplastics at trace concentrations in environmental samples, highlighting new plasmonic materials, 3D substrates, and microfluidic chip platforms that enable on-site monitoring.

2022 Journal of nanostructure in chemistry 46 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanostructured Raman substrates for the sensitive detection of submicrometer-sized plastic pollutants in water

Researchers developed nanostar-dimer-embedded nanopore substrates for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and showed they can detect submicron polystyrene microplastic particles as small as 0.4 micrometers at concentrations of 50 ppm within minutes and without sample pretreatment, offering a sensitive and rapid analytical tool for detecting the smallest plastic pollutants in water.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 149 citations