Papers

61,005 results
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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

Fabrication of Bowl Array Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Substrates via Ag Nanoparticle Self-Assembly on Polymer UV-Imprinted Microbowls for Enhanced Raman Detection of Microplastics

Researchers fabricated bowl-array surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrates by depositing silver nanoparticles via self-assembly onto UV-imprinted polymer microbowls, creating 50-micrometre diameter bowl structures that combine SERS enhancement with light-trapping to enable highly sensitive detection of micrometer-sized microplastics.

2025 Polymers
Article Tier 2

Development of a simple SERS substrate for the detection of pollutants and nanoplastics

Researchers fabricated silver- and gold-coated silicon SERS substrates and demonstrated their ability to detect nanoplastic particles as small as 50 nm by Raman mapping, achieving picomolar sensitivity for model compounds and showing strong potential for environmental monitoring of nanoplastics in food and water.

2025 Spectrochimica Acta Part A Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy 3 citations
Article Tier 2

LSP-SPP Coupling Structure Based on Three-Dimensional Patterned Sapphire Substrate for Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering Sensing

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research — it describes a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensor substrate fabricated using three-dimensional patterned sapphire and silver nanoparticles for chemical detection applications.

2023 Nanomaterials 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Efficient silver-based hybrid nano-assemblies for polystyrene nanoparticles SERS detection

Researchers built nanoscale silver-silicon hybrid platforms that can detect polystyrene nanoplastics using a technique called surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. The platforms achieved high sensitivity with detection limits in the microgram-per-milliliter range. The technology offers a promising approach for identifying nanoscale plastic particles that are too small for conventional detection methods.

2025 Microchemical Journal 3 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

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

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

SERS-Based Local Field Enhancement in Biosensing Applications

This review examined recent advances in surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrates used for detecting biological molecules and environmental contaminants, including microplastics. Researchers discussed how new materials ranging from semiconductors to flexible three-dimensional structures have expanded the technology's capabilities for sensitive, non-destructive molecular identification. The study suggests that more cost-effective and efficient SERS substrates could improve environmental monitoring and food safety testing applications.

2024 Molecules 22 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

Direct On-AnalyteFabrication of Au Nanoparticlesfor Substrate-Free SERS Detection of Micro and Nanoplastics

Researchers developed a substrate-free SERS detection method using direct on-analyte fabrication of gold nanoparticles to identify micro- and nanoplastic particles at extremely low concentrations in complex environmental matrices. The approach leverages characteristic Raman fingerprints of plastic polymers without requiring conventional fixed substrates, enabling more flexible and sensitive detection.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Advancing SERS-based detection of micro and nanoplastics in Agroecosystems: Current progress, challenges, and future directions

This review examines the potential of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) as a point-of-care detection tool for micro- and nanoplastics in agroecosystems, highlighting its sensitivity advantages over conventional methods. It covers SERS substrate design, pre-treatment strategies, and recent applications in soil and plant matrices.

2025 Journal of Agriculture and Food Research
Article Tier 2

Detection of nanoplastics through low-cost SERS substrates, based on 3D islands of aggregated gold nanoparticles on aluminum foil, for wide ranging applications

Researchers developed a low-cost surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrate by combining aluminium foil with 3D aggregates of gold nanoparticles stabilised by cucurbit[5]uril, enabling sensitive nanoplastic detection through plasmonic coupling. The substrate achieved trace-level analyte detection and offers a practical, scalable approach for nanoplastic identification across a wide range of environmental and analytical applications.

2024
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

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

Place & Play SERS: sample collection and preparation-free surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

A flexible, adhesive gold-polyvinyl alcohol nanomesh substrate was developed for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), enabling spectra acquisition by simply pressing the substrate onto a sample without any preparation steps. The approach simplifies SERS-based detection of surface contaminants including microplastics.

2023 Analytical Methods 17 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

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
Article Tier 2

Direct On-Analyte Fabrication of Au Nanoparticles for Substrate-Free SERS Detection of Micro and Nanoplastics

Scientists developed a novel technique where gold nanoparticles are grown directly onto the surface of polystyrene plastic beads, enabling highly sensitive detection of the beads using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) without needing a separate detection substrate. This proof-of-concept approach allows individual plastic particles to be optically fingerprinted even at extremely low concentrations. Advancing detection sensitivity is critical as researchers try to track nanoplastics — the smallest and most health-relevant plastic particles — in environmental and biological samples.

2025 ACS Omega 1 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

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

Detection of Sub-Micro- and Nanoplastic Particles on Gold Nanoparticle-Based Substrates through Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) Spectroscopy

Gold nanoparticle-based SERS substrates were used to detect sub-micro and nanoplastic particles including polystyrene, PET, and PVC, demonstrating that this technique can identify plastic particles below the size threshold of conventional Raman microscopy.

2021 Nanomaterials 96 citations
Article Tier 2

Design of a confocal micro-Raman spectroscopy system and research on microplastics detection

Researchers built a custom confocal micro-Raman spectroscopy system designed to detect microplastics more cost-effectively than commercial instruments. The improved signal quality enables more accurate identification of plastic polymer types in environmental samples.

2021 Applied Optics 14 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