Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Study on Rapid Recognition of Marine Microplastics Based on Raman Spectroscopy

Researchers developed a rapid identification system for marine microplastics using Raman spectroscopy, enabling quick determination of plastic type and size. Fast, accurate identification tools are critical for monitoring the growing problem of microplastic pollution in ocean environments.

2021 Knowledge Repository of Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, CAS (Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research) 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Distinguishing Microplastics from Microplastic-like particles: a Case study of Fish from the Marine Waters of Qatar

Researchers examined microplastic accumulation in the gastrointestinal tracts of 170 fish from four commercially important species in Qatar's marine waters, finding that fibers were the dominant shape and blue the most common color, but micro-Raman spectroscopy confirmed only 7 particles (4.12% of samples) met the polymer-match threshold to be classified as true microplastics. The study underscores the importance of chemical confirmation methods to distinguish genuine microplastics from morphologically similar natural particles.

2025
Article Tier 2

Detection of Anthropogenic Particles in Fish Stomachs: An Isolation Method Adapted to Identification by Raman Spectroscopy

This study developed a method for separating anthropogenic particles — including microplastics — from bulk fish stomach contents using an adapted protocol, improving the efficiency of visual examination. The approach aims to reduce misidentification errors that occur when relying solely on color, size, and shape to distinguish plastic from organic matter.

2015 Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 285 citations
Article Tier 2

A Raman spectral reference library of potential anthropogenic and biological ocean polymers

Researchers created an open-access Raman spectral reference library covering major polymer types found in marine environments, providing a freely available tool to improve the accuracy and accessibility of microplastic identification in ocean research.

2022 Scientific Data 39 citations
Article Tier 2

The Raman Spectroscopy Approach to Different Freshwater Microplastics and Quantitative Characterization of Polyethylene Aged in the Environment

Researchers used Raman spectroscopy to identify and characterize microplastics from multiple freshwater sites feeding the Baltic Sea, finding polypropylene, polyethylene, polycarbonate, and polystyrene as the most common polymer types. The study also demonstrated that Raman spectra can provide quantitative information on the crystallinity and density of aged polyethylene, enabling assessment of environmental weathering.

2022 Microplastics 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Novel method for the extraction and identification of microplastics in ocean trawl and fish gut matrices

This paper presents a method for extracting and identifying microplastics from ocean trawl samples using ultrasonication and complementary analytical techniques including optical microscopy, SEM/EDS, FT-IR, and Raman spectroscopy. The multi-technique approach improves identification accuracy for small or ambiguous plastic particles.

2016 Analytical Methods 236 citations
Article Tier 2

A critical assessment of visual identification of marine microplastic using Raman spectroscopy for analysis improvement

Researchers critically evaluated the accuracy of visual identification versus Raman spectroscopy for identifying marine microplastics, finding that visual identification alone has significant error rates and that spectroscopic confirmation is necessary for reliable results.

2015 Marine Pollution Bulletin 755 citations
Article Tier 2

Detection of submicron- and nanoplastics spiked in environmental fresh- and saltwater with Raman spectroscopy

Raman spectroscopy was evaluated for detecting submicron- and nanoplastic particles spiked into both fresh and saltwater samples, assessing the method's sensitivity and reliability across a range of polymer types in complex environmental matrices.

2024 Marine Pollution Bulletin 5 citations
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 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

When microplastics are not plastic: Chemical characterization of environmental microfibers using stimulated Raman microspectroscopy

Researchers used advanced Raman microscopy to determine whether microfibers found in various marine environments are actually made of plastic. They found that roughly three-quarters of environmental microfibers are natural materials like cotton or cellulose rather than synthetic polymers. The study suggests that many previous estimates of microplastic fiber pollution may have significantly overcounted by misidentifying natural fibers as plastic.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 25 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

Quantitative analysis of microplastics in water by Raman spectroscopy: influence of microplastic concentration on Raman scattering intensities

Researchers investigated quantitative Raman spectroscopy for detecting microplastics directly in water, finding that Raman scattering intensities varied with concentration for both PVC spheres (40-100 um) and PE spheres (40-48 um) dispersed in de-ionized water at 0.1-1.0 wt%.

2024
Article Tier 2

Quantification and characterization of microplastics in commercial fish from southern New Zealand

Researchers quantified microplastic ingestion in ten commercially important fish species from southern New Zealand using microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The study found that 75% of fish contained microplastics, with an average of 2.5 particles per fish, predominantly fibers in blue, black, and red colors, composed mainly of polyester and polyethylene terephthalate.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 75 citations
Article Tier 2

How to Identify and Quantify Microplastics and Nanoplastics Using Raman Imaging?

This paper reviews advances in Raman imaging as a method for identifying and quantifying microplastics and nanoplastics in environmental samples, discussing current protocols, analytical challenges, and the need for standardization.

2024 Analytical Chemistry 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Limits of the detection of microplastics in fish tissue using stimulated Raman scattering microscopy

This study demonstrated the detection sensitivity of stimulated Raman scattering microscopy for identifying microplastic beads within fish tissue, characterizing how signal-to-noise ratio varies with particle size. The technique provided chemical contrast to distinguish different plastic types within biological tissue without destructive sample preparation.

2024 Biomedical Optics Express 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Screening for microplastics in marine fish of Thailand: the accumulation of microplastics in the gastrointestinal tract of different foraging preferences

Researchers investigated microplastic ingestion in 492 marine fish (361 demersal and 131 pelagic) from Thailand, finding no significant difference in uptake between the two foraging types, with polyamide fibers dominating in both groups. FT-IR analysis confirmed polyamide as the most common polymer and red-colored fibers as the most abundant morphology, providing the first such characterization for Thai marine fish.

2020 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 92 citations
Article Tier 2

Raman Spectroscopy of Marine Microplastics - A short comprehensive compendium for the environmental scientists

Researchers produced a practical primer on Raman spectroscopy for non-specialist environmental scientists working with marine microplastics, covering instrument principles, sample preparation, spectral interpretation, and common challenges, aimed at improving the reliability and comparability of Raman-based MP identification.

2021 Marine Environmental Research 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in eviscerated flesh and excised organs of dried fish

This study detected microplastics in both the eviscerated flesh and excised organs of four commonly consumed dried fish species, using Raman spectroscopy for polymer identification. The finding raises food safety concerns because it suggests microplastics can be present even in the edible portions of commercially sold fish.

2017 Scientific Reports 342 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Raman spectroscopy for microplastic detection in water sources: a systematic review

This systematic review summarizes how Raman spectroscopy, a type of light-based analysis, is used to identify microplastics in drinking water, oceans, and wastewater. Polystyrene, polyethylene, and polypropylene were among the most commonly detected plastics across all water sources. Better detection methods like this are essential for understanding the extent of microplastic contamination in the water we drink.

2022 International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology 136 citations