Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Microplastic rapid screening method development using automated mineralogy

Automated scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis was adapted as a rapid screening method for detecting and characterizing microplastic particles in environmental samples. The method simultaneously identifies particle chemistry, size, and shape without hazardous chemicals. This approach offers a faster and less labor-intensive alternative to traditional microplastic analysis techniques.

2022 Frontiers in Earth Science 4 citations
Article Tier 2

The marine nano- and microplastics characterisation by SEM-EDX: The potential of the method in comparison with various physical and chemical approaches

Scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) was evaluated as a method for characterizing marine micro- and nanoplastics, and compared with optical, spectroscopic, and chemical approaches. The study finds that SEM-EDX offers complementary information on particle morphology and surface chemistry that aids in identifying plastic particles at small sizes.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 236 citations
Article Tier 2

Fast microplastics identification with stimulated Raman scattering microscopy

Stimulated Raman scattering microscopy was applied to rapidly identify and image microplastic particles in complex environmental samples at speeds dramatically faster than conventional Raman spectroscopy. The technique has potential to enable high-throughput microplastic analysis that could make large-scale environmental monitoring more feasible.

2018 Journal of Raman Spectroscopy 165 citations
Article Tier 2

Rapid identification of micro and nanoplastics by line scan Raman micro-spectroscopy

Researchers developed a faster Raman spectroscopy tool for identifying microplastic particles by scanning a line rather than a single point at a time, improving imaging speed by 10 to 100 times over conventional methods. This allows the same chemical identification and size characterization of microplastics across large sample areas in a fraction of the time. Faster analysis methods are critical for processing the large numbers of samples needed in environmental monitoring programs.

2023 Talanta 14 citations
Article Tier 2

A Novel Approach for Identifying Nanoplastics by Assessing Deformation Behavior with Scanning Electron Microscopy

Researchers adapted scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to identify nanoplastics by observing how different polymer types deform under an electron beam — a distinctive behavior that distinguishes plastics from common environmental materials like clay and algae. This novel detection method, enhanced by a computer vision algorithm, could help overcome one of the biggest obstacles in nanoplastic research: identifying particles too small to characterize with standard analytical tools.

2023 Micromachines 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Identification of microplastics and associated contaminants using ultra high resolution microscopic and spectroscopic techniques

A new procedure combining ultra-high resolution microscopy and spectroscopy was developed to simultaneously characterize micro- and nanoplastics and identify contaminants adsorbed to their surfaces in aquatic samples. The method enables more comprehensive analysis of the complex pollutant mixtures associated with environmental microplastic particles.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Correlative SEM-Raman microscopy to reveal nanoplastics in complex environments

Researchers developed a correlative approach combining scanning electron microscopy and Raman microscopy to detect and identify nanoplastics as small as 100 nanometers in complex environmental samples. The method was tested on various matrices and successfully identified individual plastic nanoparticles that would be missed by conventional techniques. The study represents a significant advance in analytical capability for studying the smallest and most challenging size fraction of plastic pollution.

2021 Micron 58 citations
Article Tier 2

A promising method for fast identification of microplastic particles in environmental samples: A pilot study using fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy

Researchers piloted fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy as a fast method for identifying microplastic particles in environmental samples. The study suggests this technique could simplify microplastic analysis by potentially eliminating the need for extensive extraction steps, enabling more direct identification of plastic particles in complex matrices.

2024 Heliyon 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Visualization and (Semi-)quantification of submicrometer plastics through scanning electron microscopy and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry

Researchers combined scanning electron microscopy and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry to detect and semi-quantify submicron plastic particles from 195 nm upward, demonstrating the method on teabag leachates and showing it can distinguish multiple polymer types in complex mixtures.

2022 Environmental Pollution 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Using optimized particle imaging of micro-Raman to characterize microplastics in water samples

Researchers developed a micro-Raman automatic particle identification technique that can characterize microplastics in water samples up to 100 times faster than traditional point-by-point detection methods, while maintaining high precision for identifying polymer types, sizes, and morphologies.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Fast identification of microplastics in complex environmental samples by a thermal degradation method

Researchers developed a fast identification method for microplastics in complex environmental samples using thermal analysis, offering a high-throughput alternative to spectroscopic techniques for polymer identification.

2017 Chemosphere 598 citations
Article Tier 2

Simple and rapid detection of microplastics in seawater using hyperspectral imaging technology

Researchers developed a hyperspectral imaging technique for rapid detection and identification of microplastics in seawater, demonstrating it could analyze multiple particles simultaneously and significantly reduce the time burden compared to traditional individual-particle identification protocols.

2018 Analytica Chimica Acta 148 citations
Article Tier 2

Correlative Microscopy and Spectroscopy Workflow for Microplastics

A correlative workflow combining optical zoom microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy was demonstrated for comprehensive analysis of the same microplastic particles, enabling simultaneous morphological and chemical characterization at high resolution. The approach avoids the need for conductive coatings and enables identification of particles as small as 100 nanometers.

2020 Applied Spectroscopy 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Single-particle investigation of airborne microplastics of inhalable size (<10 μm) using fluorescence microscopy, Raman microspectrometry, and scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry in combination

Researchers developed a new analytical strategy combining fluorescence microscopy, Raman microspectrometry, and scanning electron microscopy to reliably detect and characterize inhalable airborne microplastics smaller than 10 µm, finding approximately 800 microplastic particles per cubic meter in ambient urban air.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Rapid MicroplasticDetection Using High-ThroughputScreening Raman Spectroscopy

Researchers developed a high-throughput screening Raman spectroscopy system for rapid microplastic detection, overcoming the traditional tradeoff between spatial resolution, field of view, and analytical throughput to enable faster identification of plastic particles across environmental samples with low concentrations.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Quantification of small (1–10 µm) microplastic particles in soil matrices using automated scanning electron microscopy: possibilities and limitations

Researchers developed an automated SEM-EDX method for quantifying small (1-10 µm) microplastic particles in soil matrices, applying a gold coating to polycarbonate membranes to improve elemental contrast and using Monte Carlo simulations to optimise an acceleration voltage of 3 kV for particle detection. They achieved largely concentration-independent recoveries of ~70% for polyethylene and ~50% for PVC from soil suspensions, demonstrating both the promise and current limitations of this approach for small microplastic analysis.

2025 Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry
Article Tier 2

Microplastic identification using Raman microsocpy

Researchers developed and implemented a Raman spectroscopy system for rapid detection and identification of microplastic particles on substrates. The system enables efficient chemical characterization of microplastics found across diverse environmental matrices including ocean, lakes, soil, beach sediment, and human blood.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Identification and characterisation of individual nanoplastics by scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM)

Researchers tested scanning transmission X-ray microscopy combined with near-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy as a method to detect and identify individual nanoplastics in environmental and food samples. They successfully characterized nanoplastics from eight common polymer types and confirmed the presence of diverse nanoplastics in unspiked soil samples and tea water from plastic teabags. The technique offers a promising new analytical approach for nanoplastic detection in complex matrices.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 50 citations
Article Tier 2

A comparison of microscopic and spectroscopic identification methods for analysis of microplastics in environmental samples

Researchers compared microscopic and spectroscopic methods for analyzing microplastics in environmental samples, evaluating accuracy and efficiency and finding that spectroscopic confirmation substantially reduces misidentification errors.

2015 Marine Pollution Bulletin 820 citations
Article Tier 2

High resolution X-ray microtomography as a tool for observation and classification of individual microplastics

Researchers investigated X-ray microtomography (microCT) as a non-destructive tool for characterizing microplastics embedded in sediment, demonstrating that the technique could provide detailed internal and external morphological data to help classify individual particles based on structure and composition.

2025 Brazilian Journal of Radiation Sciences
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

Identification of microplastics using Raman spectroscopy: Latest developments and future prospects

This review summarizes the latest advances in using Raman spectroscopy to identify microplastics in environmental samples, highlighting improvements in speed, sensitivity, and the ability to characterize plastic type and surface chemistry.

2018 Water Research 936 citations
Article Tier 2

Rapid fingerprinting of source and environmental microplastics using direct analysis in real time-high resolution mass spectrometry

Researchers developed a rapid fingerprinting method using differential mobility spectrometry to identify the chemical composition and potential sources of environmental microplastics. This non-destructive approach could help identify pollution sources and inform targeted cleanup strategies.

2019 Analytica Chimica Acta 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Novel Single-Particle Analytical Technique for Inhalable Airborne Microplastic Particles by the Combined Use of Fluorescence Microscopy, Raman Microspectrometry, and SEM/EDX

Researchers developed a novel single-particle analytical method combining fluorescence microscopy, Raman microspectrometry, and SEM/EDX to characterize inhalable airborne microplastics smaller than 10 µm in ambient PM10 aerosols, addressing a critical gap in understanding respiratory exposure to plastic particles.

2023