Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Refractive Index of Benchmark Polystyrene Nanoplastics by Optical Modeling of UV–Vis Spectra

The refractive index of benchmark polystyrene nanoplastics was precisely measured using optical methods, providing a fundamental physical parameter needed for accurate optical detection and sizing of nanoplastics. Reliable optical constants for nanoplastics improve the accuracy of light-scattering-based detection instruments.

2025 Analytical Chemistry 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Correlation of refractive index to morphology for polystyrene nanospheres by optical modelling of UV-VIS spectra

Researchers developed an optical modelling approach using UV-VIS spectroscopy to determine the complex refractive index (RI) of polystyrene nanospheres and correlate it to particle morphology. The study bridged two key gaps in RI-morphology characterization: sizes below 1 micrometer and wavelengths below 400 nm, providing reference data critical for monitoring nanoplastics in environmental samples.

2025
Article Tier 2

Measurement of the Effective Refractive Index of Suspensions Containing 5 µm Diameter Spherical Polystyrene Microparticles by Surface Plasmon Resonance and Scattering

This study used surface plasmon resonance combined with Mie scattering theory to measure the effective refractive index of suspensions containing 5 µm polystyrene microspheres, proposing this approach as a foundation for optical detection methods for microplastics in water.

2025 Chemosensors
Article Tier 2

Measurement of the Effective Refractive Index of Suspensions Containing 5 µm Diameter Spherical Polystyrene Microparticles by Surface Plasmon Resonance and Scattering

Researchers developed a surface plasmon resonance method combined with Mie scattering theory to measure concentrations of 5-micrometer polystyrene microparticles in water. The system achieved good sensitivity with a detection limit of 0.001% concentration and strong linearity, demonstrating a promising optical approach for microplastic detection in aqueous samples.

2025 Preprints.org 1 citations
Article Tier 2

A powerful method for In Situ and rapid detection of trace nanoplastics in water—Mie scattering

Scientists developed a fast, on-site method for detecting nanoplastics in water using Mie scattering, a light-based technique that can identify polystyrene particles as small as 25 nanometers. When tested on commercial bottled water, nanoplastic concentrations of 0.07 to 0.39 micrograms per liter were found across five brands. This type of rapid detection tool is important for real-time monitoring of nanoplastic contamination in drinking water and assessing potential human health risks.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Development and validation of simple UV-spectrophotometric method for the estimation of polystyrene plastic/microplastic

Researchers developed a simple UV spectrophotometry method to detect and quantify polystyrene microplastics in samples. Polystyrene is widely used in food packaging and can release styrene — a potential carcinogen — when in contact with hot or fatty foods, making reliable detection methods important for monitoring contamination.

2023 Pharmaspire 1 citations
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

Polystyrene nanosized dots: structure and optical properties

Researchers dissolved commercial polystyrene (Styrofoam) in chloroform and irradiated the resulting colloid with gamma rays to produce nanoplastic dots, then characterized their structural and optical properties for use as model particles in environmental and biological studies.

2025 VinaR (Institute of Nuclear Sciences "Vinča")
Article Tier 2

Effect of UV-exposure on size, morphology, and chemical structure of polystyrene nanospheres in suspension

Researchers investigated how UV exposure changes the size, morphology, and chemical structure of polystyrene nanospheres in suspension, simulating environmental weathering of nanoplastics. The study characterized how UV aging alters particle properties in ways relevant to their biological and environmental fate.

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

Defining the size ranges of polystyrene nanoplastics according to their ability to cross biological barriers

Researchers systematically examined polystyrene nanoplastics of different sizes to define the size ranges at which they can cross biological barriers, providing a more precise definition of nanoplastic dimensions relevant to toxicological assessment.

2023 Environmental Science Nano 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Portable detection system for polystyrene nanoplastics: Advancing public health safety

Researchers developed a portable, UV-based detection system for polystyrene nanoplastics that uses multiple optical components and real-time data analysis via an embedded microcontroller. The system demonstrated the feasibility of field-deployable nanoplastic monitoring, addressing a gap left by traditional laboratory-bound methods.

2025
Clinical Trial Tier 1

Polarization transmission characteristics of polystyrene microplastics in aqueous environments

This study investigated how polarized light interacts with polystyrene microplastic particles suspended in water. While primarily a detection methods paper, it advances techniques for identifying microplastics in water and biological fluids like blood and urine, which is essential for accurately measuring human exposure levels.

2025 Optical Engineering
Article Tier 2

A Simple Spectral Method for Nanoplastic Identification and Characterisation

Researchers developed a fluorescence mapping method using Nile Red staining to locate, quantify, and identify polystyrene and polyethylene terephthalate nanoplastics down to 60 nm in size, overcoming the diffraction limits of conventional spectroscopy. Verification by scanning electron microscopy confirmed the technique can resolve individual nanoplastics of different types and sizes in complex real-world samples containing contaminant and additive nanoparticles.

2024 Research Square (Research Square) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Convenient Size Analysis of Polystyrene Nanoplastics via Regulating the Radiative Transition Efficiency

Researchers developed a new fluorescence-based method for quickly measuring the size of polystyrene nanoplastics in environmental samples. The technique uses a specially designed metal-organic framework material that changes its light-emitting properties based on nanoplastic particle size. The study offers a more practical and accessible tool for monitoring nanoplastic pollution compared to current methods that require expensive equipment.

2024 Analytical Chemistry 6 citations
Article Tier 2

In-house validation of AF4-MALS-UV for polystyrene nanoplastic analysis

Researchers validated an asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation method coupled with multi-angle light scattering and UV detection for simultaneously sizing and quantifying polystyrene nanoplastics from 20 to 200 nm, achieving greater than 90% recovery and detection limits of 15–33 µg/mL across a polydisperse nanoplastic mixture.

2021 Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 27 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of medium refractive index on microparticle characterization by optical scattering

Researchers investigated how the refractive index of the medium affects optical scattering measurements used to characterize microplastic particles, finding that medium choice significantly influences size estimation accuracy. Machine learning was applied to improve classification of particles under varying optical conditions.

2024 Photonics Letters of Poland
Article Tier 2

Fluorescent nanoplastics: What steps are needed towards a representative toolkit?

This review critically examines strategies for creating and using fluorescent nanoplastics in research, noting that commonly used commercial polystyrene beads are not representative of environmental nanoplastics. The study recommends alternative approaches for producing more realistic fluorescent model particles and provides a roadmap to help researchers select appropriate methods for their specific applications.

2025 Microplastics and Nanoplastics 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Numerical analysis and experimental verification of optical scattering from microplastics

This study used light scattering modelling (Mie theory) and a low-cost experimental setup to show that the angular pattern of scattered light carries distinct signatures of a microplastic particle's size and refractive index. The method offers a faster, cheaper route to characterising microplastics in water samples, which matters because accurate and scalable detection tools are a key bottleneck in assessing environmental exposure levels.

2023 Royal Society Open Science 10 citations
Article Tier 2

The production and characterisation of nanoplastic reference material: optimization and method development

Researchers optimized non-solvent phase separation methods using xylene, toluene, and phenol as solvents to produce nanoplastic reference materials from polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polystyrene — polymer types more environmentally representative than commonly used commercial polystyrene nanoparticles. They characterized the produced particles by dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy, FTIR, and Raman spectroscopy, finding predominantly irregular fragment morphologies that more closely resemble environmentally occurring nanoplastics.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
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

Fate of polystyrene and polyethylene nanoplastics exposed to UV in water

Researchers found that UV irradiation progressively degrades polystyrene and polyethylene nanoplastics dispersed in water, causing them to become porous, fragment, and ultimately degrade completely, revealing the photochemical fate of nanoplastics in sunlit aquatic environments.

2023 Environmental Science Nano 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Validated method for polystyrene nanoplastic separation in aqueous matrices by asymmetric-flow field flow fraction coupled to MALS and UV–Vis detectors

Researchers developed and fully validated a method to accurately measure nanoplastic particle sizes (30–490 nm) in water using a technique that combines flow separation with light-scattering detection. Having a validated analytical method is a critical step for standardizing how nanoplastics are measured across laboratories, enabling more consistent assessment of their environmental risks.

2023 Microchimica Acta 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Outlook on optical identification of micro- and nanoplastics in aquatic environments

Researchers studied the optical properties of micro- and nanoplastics and evaluated near-infrared spectroscopy as a detection method for plastic particles in water, finding that optical techniques show promise for rapid, non-destructive identification. Improved optical detection methods could enable faster and more cost-effective monitoring of plastic pollution in aquatic environments.

2018 Chemosphere 66 citations
Article Tier 2

Sensors for Polystyrene Nanoplastics Detection in Water Samples

This review assessed recent advances in sensor and biosensor technologies for detecting polystyrene nanoplastics in complex aquatic samples. The authors identified optical, electrochemical, and surface-enhanced Raman approaches as the most promising strategies, while highlighting the ongoing challenges of matrix interference and low-concentration detection limits.

2025 International Journal of Nanoelectronics and Materials (IJNeaM)