Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

HyperspectralTERS Imaging Reveals Strain Heterogeneityin Individual Nanoplastic Particles

This study used AFM-based tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy to map chemical heterogeneity within individual polystyrene nanoplastic particles with nanometer resolution. The results revealed significant internal strain variation across single particles, demonstrating that nanoplastics are not chemically uniform and that TERS can characterize this variability.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Hyperspectral TERS Imaging Reveals Strain Heterogeneity in Individual Nanoplastic Particles

Using AFM-based tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) with hyperspectral imaging, researchers characterized the chemical heterogeneity of individual polystyrene nanoplastic particles at nanoscale resolution. The technique revealed unexpected strain and chemical variation within single particles—information inaccessible to bulk spectroscopy—demonstrating TERS as a powerful label-free tool for nanoplastic characterization.

2025 Repository for Publications and Research Data (ETH Zurich)
Article Tier 2

Overcoming resolution limitations: Spectroscopy of sub-30 nm nanoplastics

Researchers developed a multi-technique approach combining standard micro-Raman spectroscopy with atomic force microscopy to characterize nanoplastics as small as 25 nm, achieving a mass detection limit of 8.6 attograms and demonstrating the capability to obtain single-particle spectra from sub-30 nm polystyrene nanoparticles.

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

Overcoming resolution limitations: Spectroscopy of sub-30 nm nanoplastics

Researchers developed a multi-technique approach combining standard micro-Raman spectroscopy with atomic force microscopy to characterize nanoplastics as small as 25 nm, achieving a mass detection limit of 8.6 attograms and demonstrating the capability to obtain single-particle spectra from sub-30 nm polystyrene nanoparticles.

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

Direct Nanoplastics Detection Below the Diffraction Limit Using Micro Raman

Researchers demonstrated that micro-Raman spectroscopy can directly detect polystyrene nanoplastic particles as small as 20 nm — far below the normal diffraction limit. This advances analytical capabilities for detecting the smallest nanoplastic particles in environmental samples.

2023
Article Tier 2

Super-resolution Raman imaging towards visualisation of nanoplastics

Super-resolution Raman imaging was evaluated as a method to visualize nanoplastics smaller than the conventional diffraction-limited laser spot size, overcoming a key barrier in nanoplastic characterization. The technique extends confocal Raman capabilities into the nanoscale detection range needed for environmental nanoplastic analysis.

2023 Analytical Methods 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Localisation and identification of polystyrene particles in tissue sections using Raman spectroscopic imaging

Researchers developed a Raman spectroscopic imaging method to localize and identify polystyrene microplastic particles directly within tissue sections, enabling in-situ detection without fluorescent labeling and making environmental sample analysis feasible.

2023 NanoImpact 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Imaging and identification of single nanoplastic particles and agglomerates

Scientists used a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique to detect and identify individual nanoplastic particles as small as 100 nanometers, a size range that has been extremely difficult to measure with existing methods. The approach can distinguish between single particles and clumps, and works significantly faster than previous imaging techniques. The study represents a meaningful advance in nanoplastic detection that could help researchers better understand the true extent of nanoplastic pollution.

2023 Scientific Reports 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Visualization and Detection of Polystyrene Micro(nano)plastics in PM2.5 by Atomic Force Microscopy–Raman Spectroscopic Imaging

Researchers developed a novel atomic force microscopy–Raman spectroscopy imaging method to simultaneously detect and characterize polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics in atmospheric PM2.5, enabling both morphological and chemical identification of plastic particles that could not be resolved by conventional spectroscopic approaches alone.

2025 Analytical Chemistry
Article Tier 2

Visualizationand Detection of Polystyrene Micro(nano)plasticsin PM2.5 by Atomic Force Microscopy–Raman SpectroscopicImaging

Researchers applied atomic force microscopy–Raman spectroscopic imaging to simultaneously detect and characterize polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics in PM2.5 atmospheric particulate matter, demonstrating morphological and chemical identification of particles below the resolution limit of conventional optical methods.

2025 Figshare
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

Unveiling microplastics with hyperspectral Raman imaging: From macroscale observations to real-world applications

This study demonstrated that hyperspectral Raman imaging can identify and characterize microplastics across scales from macro observations to individual particles in real environmental samples, offering advantages over single-point Raman measurements for heterogeneous samples.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Photoinduced Force Microscopy as an Efficient Method Towards the Detection of Nanoplastics

Researchers demonstrated photoinduced force microscopy as an effective method for detecting and chemically characterizing individual nanoplastic particles, overcoming limitations of conventional techniques that lack either sufficient spatial resolution or spectroscopic capability at the nanoscale.

2021 Chemistry - Methods 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Facilitates the Detection of Microplastics <1 μm in the Environment

Researchers developed a method using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy to detect and identify individual microplastic particles smaller than one micrometer. This technique addresses a major gap in environmental monitoring, since most current methods cannot reliably detect the smallest microplastics that may pose the greatest risk due to their ability to enter cells and tissues.

2020 Environmental Science & Technology 325 citations
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

Identification and visualisation of microplastics/nanoplastics by Raman imaging (i): Down to 100 nm

Researchers developed an advanced Raman imaging technique capable of identifying and visualizing nanoplastics down to 100 nanometers in size. The study addressed a key analytical gap, as nanoplastic research has been limited by the lack of effective characterization methods, and the new approach offers a way to detect these extremely small particles that may pose greater environmental risks due to their high surface area.

2020 Water Research 292 citations
Article Tier 2

Identification of Microplastics Using a Custom Built Micro-Raman Spectrometer

Researchers built a custom micro-Raman spectrometer and demonstrated its use for identifying microplastic polymer types in environmental samples, achieving sensitive and specific polymer identification at particle sizes down to a few micrometers.

2023 Journal of Physics Conference Series 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Sub-10 nm Nanoparticle Detection Using Multi-Technique-Based Micro-Raman Spectroscopy

Researchers combined standard micro-Raman spectroscopy with atomic force microscopy to detect individual nanoparticles as small as 9 nm — a size range that until now required far more complex and time-consuming instruments. This advance matters for microplastic research because plastics continuously fragment into nanoplastics, and having accessible tools to characterise these ultra-small particles is essential for understanding their environmental distribution and biological uptake.

2023 Polymers 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Fast detection and 3D imaging of nanoplastics and microplastics by stimulated Raman scattering microscopy

Researchers developed a fast imaging technique using stimulated Raman scattering microscopy to detect and create 3D maps of nanoplastics and microplastics at the single-particle level. The method can identify plastic particles as small as 100 nanometers and distinguish between different polymer types without the need for dyes or labels. This technology could help scientists more accurately track tiny plastic particles in environmental and biological samples.

2023 Cell Reports Physical Science 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Detection and analysis of microplastics in the subtropical ocean of Okinawa using micro-Raman Optical Tweezers

Micro-Raman optical tweezers were used to isolate and identify individual microplastic particles from seawater samples collected off Okinawa, demonstrating that this single-particle technique can characterize polymer composition of very small particles that are difficult to detect with conventional methods.

2021 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Raman Tweezers for Tire and Road Wear Micro- and Nanoparticles analysis

Researchers used Raman tweezers — optical trapping combined with spectroscopy — to analyze tire and road wear particles, which are a major but difficult-to-characterize category of microplastic pollution. The technique can identify individual sub-millimeter rubber particles without the interference that makes standard FTIR analysis difficult.

2021 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Super-resolution imaging of micro- and nanoplastics using confocal Raman with Gaussian surface fitting and deconvolution

Researchers used confocal Raman imaging with Gaussian surface fitting to achieve super-resolution visualization of micro- and nanoplastics beyond the optical diffraction limit, enabling identification and imaging of nanoplastic particles smaller than conventional Raman microscopy can resolve.

2023 Talanta 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Rayleigh Mapping for Rapid and Precise Nanoplastic Distribution Analysis on Flat Surfaces

Researchers developed an analytical approach combining Rayleigh mapping with targeted single-point Raman spectroscopy for detecting and analyzing nanoplastic distribution on flat surfaces, demonstrating that initial Rayleigh mapping rapidly identified regions of interest and reduced analysis time compared to full point-by-point Raman scanning.

2025
Article Tier 2

High-performance micro/nanoplastics characterization by MALDI-FTICR mass spectrometry

Researchers developed a MALDI-FTICR mass spectrometry method for high-precision chemical identification of micro- and nanoplastics, demonstrating unambiguous characterization of multiple polymer types including polystyrene and polyethylene terephthalate even at very small particle sizes.

2022 Chemosphere 6 citations