Papers

61,005 results
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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

Single-Particle Nanoplastic Identification by Liquid–Liquid Interfacial Assembly for Correlative SERS-SEM/EDX

Researchers developed a liquid-liquid interface technique that simultaneously concentrates nanoplastic particles from dilute water samples and coats them with silver nanoparticles to enable highly sensitive Raman spectroscopy (SERS) identification, achieving over 95% enrichment efficiency for particles between 100 and 800 nanometers. The method also preserves particle morphology for follow-up electron microscopy analysis. This analytical advance addresses one of the biggest technical barriers in nanoplastic research — detecting and identifying extremely small plastic particles at environmentally relevant concentrations.

2026 Analytical Chemistry
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

Advances in Surface‐Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for Detection of Aquatic Environmental Pollutants

This review examines surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) as a technique for detecting aquatic pollutants, highlighting its exceptional sensitivity and molecular fingerprinting capability for identifying microplastics and other contaminants at trace concentrations.

2025 Analysis & Sensing
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

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

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

Trapping tiny pollutants: SERS-driven strategies for microplastics and nanoplastics detection

This review explores how surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is being developed as a highly sensitive tool for detecting and identifying micro- and nanoplastics in environmental and biological samples. Researchers highlight recent advances in sensor design, the integration of machine learning for improved accuracy, and the technique's potential for real-world monitoring. The study also identifies key challenges, including signal variability and the lack of standardized methods, that need to be resolved for broader adoption.

2025 iScience 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Highly sensitive superhydrophobic SERS substrate combined with machine learning for precise identification and classification of nanoplastics

Researchers fabricated a superhydrophobic surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate that concentrates nanoplastics in a tiny detection zone, then combined it with machine learning to identify seven types of nanoplastics in real lake water with 99.88% accuracy, offering a practical high-throughput environmental monitoring approach.

2026 Spectrochimica Acta Part A Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy
Article Tier 2

Study of microplastics as sorbents for rapid detection of multiple antibiotics in water based on SERS technology

Researchers used polyethylene microplastics as sorbents combined with surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technology to rapidly detect multiple antibiotic residues in water, demonstrating that microplastics' tendency to adsorb contaminants can be repurposed as a tool for environmental monitoring.

2022 Spectrochimica Acta Part A Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy 25 citations
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

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

Hydrogel‐based surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy for food contaminant detection: A review on classification, strategies, and applications

This review covers hydrogel-based surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates for detecting food contaminants. It is not about microplastics and is not relevant to microplastic research.

2023 Food Safety and Health 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Microextraction based on microplastic followed by SERS for on-site detection of hydrophobic organic contaminants, an indicator of seawater pollution

Researchers used microplastics as a sampling tool combined with surface-enhanced Raman scattering to detect and measure a toxic organic pollutant (fluoranthene) in seawater. This approach could offer a portable, cost-effective way to monitor water contamination in the field.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Liquid Interfacial Coassembly of Plasmonic Arrays and Trace Hydrophobic Nanoplastics in Edible Oils for Robust Identification and Classification by Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

Researchers developed a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy method that uses liquid interface coassembly of gold nanoparticles to detect trace amounts of nanoplastics in edible oils and aqueous environments. The technique achieved detection limits at the microgram-per-milliliter level and, combined with principal component analysis, enabled differentiation and classification of multiple nanoplastic types.

2023 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 12 citations
Article Tier 2

A review of recent progress in the application of Raman spectroscopy and SERS detection of microplastics and derivatives

This review covers advances in using Raman spectroscopy and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to detect and identify microplastics in the environment. These techniques offer high resolution and sensitive detection that can identify specific plastic types even at very small sizes. Better detection methods are essential for understanding the true extent of microplastic contamination and its potential risks to human health.

2023 Microchimica Acta 53 citations
Article Tier 2

Latest Advances and Developments to Detection of Micro‐ and Nanoplastics Using Surface‐Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

This review examines the latest developments in using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to detect micro- and nanoplastics in various environmental samples. Researchers found that SERS offers significantly improved sensitivity compared to conventional methods, enabling detection of smaller plastic particles. The study suggests that SERS-based approaches hold promise for advancing nanoplastic detection, though challenges around standardization and reproducibility remain.

2022 Particle & Particle Systems Characterization 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Liquid metasurface for size-independent detection of microplastics

Researchers developed a liquid metasurface sensor that can detect and quantify microplastics regardless of their size, overcoming a major limitation of existing detection methods. The technology uses surface-enhanced Raman scattering on a self-assembled liquid surface to eliminate the size-dependent detection problems that plague conventional solid substrates. This advancement could make it significantly easier to accurately measure microplastic contamination in environmental samples.

2024 Talanta 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Meniscus‐Confined 3D Printed Nanoparticles: A Comparative Study of Quantitative SERS Detection of Microplastics

Detecting microplastics accurately in environmental samples is technically challenging, and this study introduces a new approach using 3D-printed silver and gold nanoparticle surfaces that amplify the light signal from microplastics when analyzed by Raman spectroscopy. Both types of printed substrates could detect plastic particles at concentrations as low as 0.3–1.2 micrograms per milliliter, with high reproducibility across dozens of repeated measurements. This technology could make routine, sensitive microplastic monitoring faster and more practical for environmental agencies and researchers.

2026 ChemistrySelect
Article Tier 2

Simultaneous detection of nanoplastics and adsorbed pesticides by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Researchers used Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) with silver and gold nanoparticles to simultaneously detect nanoplastic particles and pesticides adsorbed onto their surfaces at environmentally relevant concentrations. The technique successfully identified both the plastic carrier and the co-transported contaminant in a single measurement, demonstrating its utility for assessing the combined hazard of nanoplastic-pesticide complexes.

2025 NanoImpact
Article Tier 2

Hetero-charge-based surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy: An in situ rapid detection strategy for real marine nanoplastics

Researchers developed an in situ SERS detection method using oppositely charged gold nanoparticles to capture and identify nanoplastics directly in seawater without filtration or drying, achieving a detection limit of 0.1 µg/mL in artificial seawater and successfully identifying polystyrene in a real marine sample.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microfluidic Detection and Analysis of Microplastics Using Surface Nanodroplets

Researchers developed a microfluidic device that uses tiny surface droplets to capture and analyze microplastics as small as 10 micrometers from water samples. The captured particles can be examined under a microscope and identified by type using Raman spectroscopy without removing them from the device. The method offers a simpler, faster, and more affordable way to detect small microplastics compared to conventional filtration techniques.

2024 ACS Sensors 26 citations
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.

2023 Water Research 24 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