Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Detection methods of micro and nanoplastics

This review surveyed current detection methods for micro- and nanoplastics across environmental and food matrices, comparing techniques like FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry for identifying these emerging contaminants.

2023 Advances in food and nutrition research 12 citations
Article Tier 2

High-resolution characterization technology for micro-/nano-plastics

This review provides an overview of advanced technologies for detecting and characterizing micro- and nanoplastics, including Raman spectroscopy, infrared imaging, and mass spectrometry techniques. Researchers evaluated the capabilities and limitations of each method, particularly for identifying the smallest plastic particles that are most challenging to measure. The study emphasizes that improving detection at the nanoscale is essential for accurately assessing the environmental and health risks of plastic pollution.

2024 Journal of Physics D Applied Physics 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Application of Infrared and Near-Infrared Microspectroscopy to Microplastic Human Exposure Measurements

This review evaluates how infrared and near-infrared microscopy techniques are being used to measure human exposure to microplastics from drinking water, dust, food, and air. Researchers found that while these spectroscopic tools are powerful for identifying plastic types and sizes, significant challenges remain in standardizing methods across different sample types. The study highlights that consistent, reliable exposure measurements are essential for understanding whether microplastic levels in everyday environments pose meaningful health risks.

2023 Applied Spectroscopy 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Detection and Monitoring in Biological and Environmental Systems: A Mini Review of Techniques and Strategies

This mini review compares the major techniques used to detect and measure microplastics in both environmental and biological samples, including infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry methods. Researchers evaluated the strengths and limitations of each approach for identifying different types and sizes of microplastic particles. The study provides practical guidance for choosing the right detection method depending on the specific research question and sample type.

2025 International Journal of High Speed Electronics and Systems 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Current techniques for identifying, quantifying, and characterizing micro and nanoplastics with emphasis on strengths, limitations, and challenges

Researchers reviewed current analytical techniques for identifying, quantifying, and characterizing micro- and nanoplastics across environmental matrices. The review highlights the strengths and limitations of methods including FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, and pyrolysis-GC/MS, and calls for standardization to improve comparability across studies.

2025 Discover Environment
Article Tier 2

An investigation on the applications of advanced Infrared Spectroscopy, Spectral Imaging and Machine Learning for Polymer Characterization, including microplastics

This study integrated advanced infrared spectroscopy, spectral imaging, chemometrics, and machine learning to identify and characterize microplastics and polymer degradation products. The combination of techniques improved both the accuracy and throughput of MP analysis compared to conventional methods.

2025 Research Repository UCD (University College Dublin)
Article Tier 2

Micro- and nanoplastics in the environment: a comprehensive review on detection techniques

This review provides a comprehensive overview of detection techniques for micro- and nanoplastics in the environment. The methods covered include FT-IR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, fluorescence and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopies, electroanalytical techniques, microfluidic systems, and advanced mass spectrometry approaches.

2025 Environmental Science Nano 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Contributions of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in microplastic pollution research: A review

This review covers advances in Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy techniques — including chemical imaging — for identifying polymer types in microplastic samples and tracing their fate in different environmental matrices.

2020 Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology 480 citations
Article Tier 2

Advanced analytical techniques for microplastics in the environment: a review

Researchers reviewed the most advanced laboratory tools for detecting and identifying microplastics in environmental samples — including infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and pyrolysis gas chromatography — summarizing the strengths and weaknesses of each technique to help researchers choose the right method for accurate microplastic analysis.

2023 Bulletin of the National Research Centre/Bulletin of the National Research Center 56 citations
Article Tier 2

A Review of Spectroscopic Techniques used for the Quantification and Classification of Microplastics and Nanoplastics in the Environment

This review evaluates spectroscopic techniques — including Raman, FTIR, NIR, ICP-MS, fluorescence, X-ray, and NMR — for identifying and quantifying microplastics and nanoplastics in environmental and biological matrices, covering methodologies, sample handling, and applications.

2024 Spectroscopy 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Challenges and Recent Analytical Advances in Micro/Nanoplastic Detection

This review covers the challenges scientists face in detecting and measuring micro- and nanoplastics in the environment, especially for particles smaller than one micrometer. Current analytical methods have significant limitations for identifying nanoplastics due to their extremely small size and diverse chemical compositions. Improving detection technology is essential for accurately assessing how much microplastic contamination exists in water, food, and human tissues.

2024 Analytical Chemistry 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Spectro‐Microscopic Techniques for Studying Nanoplastics in the Environment and in Organisms

This review examined spectro-microscopic techniques available for detecting and studying nanoplastics in environmental and biological samples. The study highlights that detecting nanoplastics remains challenging because their small size falls below the detection limits of common analytical tools, and their chemical composition is similar to organic matrices, making identification difficult.

2022 Angewandte Chemie International Edition 55 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent Advances in Spectroscopic Techniques for the Analysis of Microplastics in Food

This review summarizes recent advances in spectroscopic techniques for detecting and identifying microplastics in food products. Researchers evaluated methods including FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, and emerging hyperspectral imaging approaches for analyzing microplastics of various sizes, shapes, and materials. The study highlights the strengths and limitations of each technique and identifies gaps in our ability to reliably assess microplastic contamination in the food supply.

2022 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 71 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics: Challenges, toxicity, spectroscopic and real-time detection methods

This review paper summarizes the challenges of detecting microplastics and the latest methods scientists use to find and identify them, including infrared, Raman, and fluorescence spectroscopy. It also covers the known toxic effects of microplastics on living organisms, including how they can carry harmful chemicals and pathogens. Better detection methods are important because understanding where microplastics are and what types are present is the first step toward assessing health risks.

2024 Applied Spectroscopy Reviews 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Infrared Microscopy: A Multidisciplinary Review of Techniques, Applications, and Ethical Dimensions

This review examines the applications of infrared microscopy across biomedical research, materials science, environmental monitoring, and art conservation. Researchers highlighted the technique's ability to provide non-invasive molecular analysis, including its role in identifying and characterizing microplastic pollutants in environmental samples. The study also addresses ethical considerations around data privacy and responsible technology use in these analytical applications.

2024 Jordan Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro and Nanoplastics Identification: Classic Methods and Innovative Detection Techniques

This review covers both classical and innovative methods for identifying micro- and nanoplastics in environmental samples. Researchers compare techniques including FTIR and Raman spectroscopy, thermal analysis, and emerging approaches like machine learning-assisted detection. The study emphasizes the need for standardized analytical protocols to ensure reliable and comparable measurements of plastic contamination across different environmental matrices.

2021 Frontiers in Toxicology 364 citations
Article Tier 2

Possibilities and Limitations of AFM-IR to Detect Nanoplastic Particles in the Atmosphere

Researchers evaluated the capabilities and limitations of AFM-IR spectroscopy for detecting nanoplastic particles in atmospheric samples. They found that while the technique can identify individual nanoplastic particles, significant challenges remain in quantifying atmospheric nanoplastic concentrations due to detection limits and sample preparation complexity. The study highlights the need for improved analytical methods to assess human inhalation exposure to nanoplastics.

2026 Environmental Science Nano
Article Tier 2

Applications of Fourier Transform-Infrared spectroscopy in microbial cell biology and environmental microbiology: advances, challenges, and future perspectives

This review covers how Fourier Transform-Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy is used in microbiology to identify microorganisms, study biofilms, and monitor environmental interactions. While not directly about microplastics, FT-IR is one of the primary tools scientists use to identify and measure microplastic contamination in environmental samples. The review discusses challenges and future directions that could improve microplastic detection accuracy.

2023 Frontiers in Microbiology 171 citations
Article Tier 2

Methods for identifying microplastics in food systems

Identifying microplastics in food is technically challenging because food matrices are complex and particles can be very small. This review covers the main methods scientists use — from simple visual inspection to sophisticated techniques like Raman spectroscopy and infrared imaging — and evaluates their strengths and limitations in the context of food safety. The authors conclude that Raman microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy are currently the gold-standard approaches for detecting and confirming the chemical identity of microplastics in food and agricultural products.

2026 Agrarian science
Article Tier 2

Characterization of microplastics in tap water by optical photothermal infrared

Researchers used optical photothermal infrared spectroscopy to characterize microplastics in tap water, identifying particles as small as a few micrometers that conventional FTIR techniques cannot resolve. The higher detection sensitivity revealed that microplastic concentrations in drinking water are likely underestimated by standard methods.

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

Identification and removal of micro- and nano-plastics: Efficient and cost-effective methods

This review covers current methods for detecting and removing micro- and nanoplastics from the environment, including techniques like FTIR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry for identification. Researchers also evaluated treatment technologies, including membrane filtration systems, for removing plastic particles from water sources. The study highlights the need for efficient, cost-effective solutions as plastic pollution continues to spread through water, soil, and living organisms.

2021 Chemical Engineering Journal 107 citations
Article Tier 2

Application of High-Resolution Near-Infrared Imaging Spectroscopy to Detect Microplastic Particles in Different Environmental Compartments

Researchers enhanced a lab-based near-infrared imaging spectroscopy setup with a microscopic lens to detect microplastic particles as small as 100 micrometers across multiple environmental sample types, significantly speeding up analysis compared to traditional methods. Faster, semi-automated detection tools are essential for scaling up environmental monitoring of microplastics, which currently requires labor-intensive laboratory work.

2023 Water Air & Soil Pollution 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Analytical tools in advancing microplastics research for identification and quantification across environmental media: from sample to insight

Researchers reviewed the analytical tools most commonly used for identifying and quantifying microplastics, focusing on FTIR and Raman spectroscopy as the two primary methods. The review compared their strengths and limitations and provided guidance for choosing between them based on particle size, sample matrix, and research objectives.

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

Challenges and Advances in Analytical Techniques to Detect Micro- and Nanoplastics

This research review summarizes the current methods scientists use to detect and study microplastics and nanoplastics - tiny plastic particles that can get into our environment, food, and bodies. The authors explain that identifying these extremely small plastic pieces is very challenging and requires advanced laboratory techniques to understand what types of plastics they are and how much is present. Better detection methods are important because we need to understand how much plastic pollution we're exposed to and its potential effects on human health.

2026