Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Optofluidic light-droplet interaction for rapidly assessing the presence of plastic microspheres within aqueous suspensions

Scientists developed a new device that can quickly detect tiny plastic particles (called microplastics) in water by shining light through water droplets and measuring how much light gets blocked. The device can spot extremely small amounts of plastic pollution - even particles smaller than the width of a human hair. This technology could help us better monitor plastic contamination in drinking water and the environment, which is important since these tiny plastics can harm both ecosystems and human health.

2026 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Droplet-based Opto-microfluidic Device for Microplastic Sensing in Aqueous Solutions

Researchers developed a microfluidic device using light to detect plastic microspheres in water droplets, offering a new tool for identifying microplastic contamination in aquatic environments.

2023
Article Tier 2

Optofluidic light-droplet interaction for rapidly assessing the presence of plastic microspheres within aqueous suspensions

Researchers developed an optofluidic system that uses light-droplet interactions to rapidly detect the presence of plastic microspheres in water. The study demonstrates a new sensing methodology that could enable faster and more practical screening for microplastic contamination in aquatic environments.

2026 Optics Express
Article Tier 2

Portable On-Site Optical Detection and Quantification of Microplastics

Researchers built a portable, on-site optical device to detect and quantify microplastics in water. The device addresses the challenge of detecting small, often translucent particles without a laboratory setting. Portable microplastic detection tools could enable real-time monitoring in the field, supporting faster environmental assessments.

2023 1 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

Optical System for In-situ Detection of Microplastics

Researchers developed a portable optical system capable of detecting, identifying, continuously monitoring, and quantifying microplastics in situ at natural water bodies. The system uses optical techniques to observe the temporal behavior of microplastic concentrations at fixed locations, enabling real-time environmental monitoring without sample collection and laboratory processing.

2024
Article Tier 2

Adaptable Plasmonic Membrane Sensors for Fast and Reliable Detection of Trace Low-Micrometer Microplastics in Lake Water

Scientists developed a new sensor that can quickly detect very small microplastics (1 to 10 micrometers) in lake water at the individual particle level. The sensor combines a membrane filter with light-enhancing technology to identify different plastic types in complex water samples within minutes. This advancement could make routine monitoring of tiny microplastics in freshwater much more practical and accessible.

2024 Environmental Science & Technology 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Machine learning-integrated droplet microfluidic system for accurate quantification and classification of microplastics

Scientists developed a new microplastic detection system that combines tiny droplet-based testing with machine learning to quickly identify and classify microplastic particles. This portable system can accurately detect microplastics on-site without expensive lab equipment, which could make widespread environmental and food safety monitoring much more practical.

2025 Water Research 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Light-Programmable Nanograspers for Rapid Nanoplastics Detection in Biological Fluids

Scientists developed a new tool that can quickly detect tiny plastic particles (nanoplastics) in blood and other body fluids using special light-controlled "nanograspers" that grab and identify the particles. This matters because nanoplastics from pollution can get into our bodies, but until now it was very hard to find and measure them in blood samples. The new method could help doctors and researchers better understand how plastic pollution affects human health.

2026 ACS Nano
Article Tier 2

A Portable Optical Sensor for Microplastic Detection: Development and Calibration

Researchers built a portable, low-cost optical sensor prototype designed to detect microplastics by shining multiple wavelengths of light through water samples. The device measures how different plastic particles absorb and scatter light, producing color spectra that can help identify microplastics. The sensor offers an affordable field-deployable option for environmental monitoring, with potential future improvements using machine learning for automated identification.

2025 Applied Sciences 3 citations
Article Tier 2

A field deployable imaging system for detecting microplastics in the aquatic environment

Researchers built a portable imaging system for detecting microplastics in water that can be deployed directly in the field rather than requiring laboratory analysis. The system uses a de-scattering algorithm to produce clear images even in turbid water conditions and can identify particles as small as 50 micrometers. This low-cost tool could make routine microplastic monitoring of rivers, lakes, and coastal waters much more practical and accessible.

2024 4 citations
Article Tier 2

A prototype of a portable optical sensor for the detection of transparent and translucent microplastics in freshwater

Researchers developed a portable prototype optical sensor capable of detecting transparent and translucent microplastics in freshwater by simultaneously measuring specular laser light reflection and transmission, offering a feasibility pathway for field-deployable microplastic monitoring.

2019 Chemosphere 88 citations
Article Tier 2

Portable Pyrolysis-Microplasma Carbon Optical Emission Spectrometric Device for Detection of Micro- and Nanoplastics in Water

Scientists developed a portable, low-cost device that can detect micro- and nanoplastics in water samples on-site, rather than requiring expensive lab equipment. The device uses a miniature pyrolyzer combined with an optical emission spectrometer to measure total plastic content in water, achieving detection limits as low as 0.43 micrograms of carbon per liter. This tool could make it much easier to monitor microplastic contamination in tap water, rivers, and wastewater in real time.

2025 Analytical Chemistry 5 citations
Article Tier 2

An IoT Based Low-Cost Optical System for Early Detection of Microplastics in Water Sources

Researchers developed a low-cost device that can detect tiny plastic particles (microplastics) in drinking water using simple LED lights and sensors, which could make testing much cheaper and easier than current lab methods. This matters because microplastics are found in water supplies worldwide and may pose health risks, but expensive testing equipment has made it hard to monitor water quality regularly. The study shows this simpler technology could work, potentially helping communities better track plastic pollution in their water sources.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Size- and Concentration-Resolved Detection of PET Microplastics in Real Water via Excitation–Emission Matrix Fluorescence Quenching of Polyamide-Derived Carbon Quantum Dots

Scientists developed a new method to detect tiny plastic particles (called microplastics) in drinking water using special fluorescent dots that dim when they encounter plastic pollution. The technique works best at finding very small plastic pieces—smaller than the width of a human hair—which are hardest to detect but potentially most dangerous since they can get into our bodies more easily. This could help monitor plastic contamination in tap water and other water sources we use daily, giving us better information about our exposure to these harmful particles.

2026 Sensors
Article Tier 2

Outlook on optical identification of micro- and nanoplastics in aquatic environments

Researchers studied the optical properties of micro- and nanoplastics and evaluated near-infrared spectroscopy as a detection method for plastic particles in water, finding that optical techniques show promise for rapid, non-destructive identification. Improved optical detection methods could enable faster and more cost-effective monitoring of plastic pollution in aquatic environments.

2018 Chemosphere 66 citations
Article Tier 2

Rapid and reliable detection of microplastics in drinking water using fluorescence microscopy

Researchers developed a fluorescence-based method for rapid detection and quantification of microplastics in drinking water, addressing the need for faster and more practical monitoring tools. The method achieved high sensitivity and allowed polymer discrimination without requiring expensive spectroscopic instrumentation.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

High-throughput microplastic assessment using polarization holographic imaging

Researchers built a portable, low-cost system that uses holographic imaging and polarized light combined with deep learning to automatically detect, count, and classify microplastics in water in real time — without lengthy sample preparation. This tool significantly speeds up microplastic monitoring and could be widely deployed for environmental surveillance.

2024 Scientific Reports 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Detection of Microplastics Based on a Liquid–Solid Triboelectric Nanogenerator and a Deep Learning Method

Scientists developed a new microplastic detection device based on a liquid-solid friction generator combined with deep learning AI to identify different types of plastic particles. The system can classify microplastics by material type with high accuracy using electrical signals generated when plastic particles contact a liquid surface. This technology could make it easier and cheaper to monitor microplastic contamination in water supplies.

2023 ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Microfluidic Sensors for Micropollutant Detection in Environmental Matrices: Recent Advances and Prospects

This review covers advances in tiny sensor devices called microfluidic sensors that can detect trace amounts of pollutants including microplastics in water and environmental samples. Better detection tools matter for human health because they enable faster, more accurate monitoring of microplastic contamination in drinking water and food sources.

2025 Biosensors 11 citations
Article Tier 2

In-situ Detection Method for Microplastics in Water by Polarized Light Scattering

Researchers developed an in-situ detection method for microplastics in water using polarized light scattering at 120 degrees, enabling real-time measurement of individual particles without sample collection or laboratory processing.

2021 Frontiers in Marine Science 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Detection of Microplastics in Water and Ice

Researchers explored optical detection methods for identifying microplastics floating on water surfaces or trapped in ice, taking advantage of the unique light-reflecting properties of different plastic types. Advances in optical detection are important for developing faster, non-destructive tools for monitoring microplastic pollution.

2021 Remote Sensing 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Smart polarization and spectroscopic holography for real-time microplastics identification

Researchers developed a new optical imaging system called SPLASH that simultaneously captures polarization, holographic, and texture data from tiny particles — without needing a traditional spectrometer — and used machine learning to identify different types of microplastics with high accuracy. This approach could enable faster, more practical real-time monitoring of microplastic pollution in water.

2024 Communications Engineering 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorting microplastics from other materials in water samples by ultra-high-definition imaging

Researchers used a commercial particle analyzer with ultra-high-definition imaging to sort and identify microplastic particles in water samples. The device successfully distinguished between different plastic types based on how light scatters through or off their surfaces, and could separate microplastics from air bubbles and other non-plastic particles. The study demonstrates a relatively fast and accessible method for characterizing microplastic contamination in water.

2023 Journal of the European Optical Society Rapid Publications 15 citations