Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Detecting Polystyrene Nanoparticles in Environmental Samples: A Comprehensive Quantitative Approach Based on TD-PTR-MS and Multivariate Standard Addition

Scientists developed an analytical method combining thermal desorption, mass spectrometry, and multivariate statistics to accurately quantify polystyrene nanoplastics in complex environmental samples where other organic compounds can interfere with the signal. The workflow used non-negative matrix factorization to separate nanoplastic signals from background organic chemistry, enabling reliable quantification in real-world samples. Robust quantification methods for nanoplastics are a prerequisite for understanding human and environmental exposure, making this analytical advance scientifically significant.

2025 ACS ES&T Water 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Fully quantitative analysis of nano-plastics in environmental samples using TD-PTR-MS and multivariate standard addition

Researchers developed a fully quantitative analytical method using thermal desorption pyrolysis-GC/MS to measure nanoplastics in environmental samples, addressing the technical challenges of detecting particles present at low concentrations in complex matrices. The method provides quantitative data on nanoplastic mass concentrations in environmental samples, enabling more rigorous risk assessment.

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

Measuring nanoplastics in the atmosphere and other environmental compartments by TD-PTR-MS

Researchers developed a thermal desorption proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry method to measure nanoplastics in atmospheric samples and other environmental compartments, providing a new analytical tool for quantifying these poorly characterized ultrafine particles.

2024
Article Tier 2

Fully quantitative analysis of nano-plastics in environmental samples using TD-PTR-MS and multivariate standard addition

This study developed a fully quantitative method for analyzing nanoplastics in environmental samples using thermal desorption pyrolysis-GC/MS, addressing the challenge that nanoplastics are often present at low concentrations in complex matrices. The approach advances detection capabilities needed to accurately assess nanoplastic pollution in natural systems.

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

Identification of polystyrene nanoplastics from natural organic matter in complex environmental matrices by pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

Researchers used pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify polystyrene nanoplastics in environmental samples containing natural organic matter, developing methods to distinguish nanoplastic signals from complex organic background matrices in water.

2023 Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Thermal fragmentation enhanced identification and quantification of polystyrene micro/nanoplastics in complex media

Researchers developed a method using thermal fragmentation combined with MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry to identify and quantify polystyrene micro/nanoplastics in complex media, enabling reliable fingerprint-based detection and quantification down to nanoplastic size ranges.

2019 Talanta 119 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics Identification in Complex Environmental Matrices: Strategies for Polystyrene and Polypropylene

Researchers developed and compared analytical strategies for detecting and identifying polystyrene and polypropylene nanoplastics in complex environmental matrices, evaluating techniques including pyrolysis-GC/MS, Raman spectroscopy, and electron microscopy, and proposing a multi-method workflow for environmental samples.

2021 Environmental Science & Technology 103 citations
Article Tier 2

Thermal desorption and extraction coupled with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry for the quantification of polystyrene nanoplastic in pak choi

This study developed a thermal desorption and extraction method coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry to identify and quantify plastic additives and polymer-associated chemicals in environmental samples. The approach enables sensitive detection of plastic-derived contaminants in complex matrices.

2024
Article Tier 2

Thermal Desorption and Extraction Coupled With Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry for the Quantification of Polystyrene Nanoplastic in Pak Choi

This methods paper describes a thermal desorption and extraction approach coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for detecting plastic-associated chemicals including plasticizers and flame retardants in environmental samples with high sensitivity.

2025 Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Trace analysis of polystyrene microplastics in natural waters

Researchers developed and evaluated analytical methods for trace-level quantification of polystyrene microplastics and nanoplastics in natural water samples, addressing key challenges in sensitivity and accuracy that limit realistic environmental risk assessment.

2019 Chemosphere 133 citations
Article Tier 2

Evaluating the influence of polystyrene standards on quantification in environmental samples

Researchers tested how different types and molecular weights of polystyrene standards affect the accuracy of a common analytical method used to measure microplastics in environmental samples. They found that the choice of standard material can significantly over- or underestimate actual microplastic concentrations, with low-molecular-weight standards causing the most inaccurate readings. The study calls for greater standardization in analytical methods to ensure reliable microplastic measurements across studies.

2025 Microplastics and Nanoplastics 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Aminated Carbon Nanofiber-Mediated Nanoconfined Liquid Phase Nanoextraction Coupled with Py-GC/MS for Sensitive Determination of Polystyrene Nanoplastics

Researchers developed a novel method combining aminated carbon nanofiber-based nanoextraction with pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for detecting polystyrene nanoplastics in water. The technique achieved highly sensitive detection of nanoplastics at trace levels, offering a promising tool for monitoring nanoplastic contamination in environmental water samples.

2026
Article Tier 2

Development and validation of an analytical pyrolysis method for detection of airborne polystyrene nanoparticles

Scientists developed and validated a new method using thermal analysis to detect airborne polystyrene nanoparticles, which are too small for most current detection techniques. The method can measure nanoplastics at the nanogram level, enabling researchers to quantify these tiny particles in air samples. This is important for human health research because airborne nanoplastics are likely widespread but have been difficult to measure, and understanding air concentrations is essential for assessing how much people inhale.

2024 Journal of Chromatography A 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Real-Time Detectionof Urban Atmospheric Micro–Nanoplasticsand Their Chemical Mixing State Using Bioaerosol Single-Particle MassSpectrometry

Researchers developed a bioaerosol single-particle mass spectrometry (Bio-SPAMS) approach for real-time detection of polystyrene micro-nanoplastics in urban air, identifying three diagnostic tracer ions as unambiguous PS markers and revealing that PS MNPs constitute 1.04% of total aerosols in a Chinese megacity. Approximately 76% of detected PS MNPs showed co-detection with nitrate and sulfate signatures, demonstrating active atmospheric aging via secondary pollutant uptake.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Evaluation and optimization of the influence of silver cluster ions on the MALDI-TOF-MS analysis of polystyrene nanoplastic polymers

Researchers optimized MALDI-TOF-MS analysis of polystyrene nanoplastics by evaluating silver cationization reagents, finding that silver cluster ion interference could be minimized through careful selection of matrix and silver salt combinations.

2022 Analytical Methods 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Analytical methods and environmental processes of nanoplastics

This review examined current analytical methods for extracting, separating, identifying, and quantifying nanoplastics in environmental matrices, and summarized knowledge on their fate and transport pathways in the environment. The authors identified key gaps including detection limits too high to measure ultralow nanoplastic concentrations and an over-reliance on spherical polystyrene models that fail to represent the irregular shapes found in nature.

2020 Journal of Environmental Sciences 101 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)
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
Article Tier 2

Quantitation of Atmospheric Suspended Polystyrene Nanoplastics by Active Sampling Prior to Pyrolysis–Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry

Scientists developed a method to measure polystyrene nanoplastics suspended in outdoor air using active air sampling and a specialized chemical analysis technique. They detected nanoplastics at multiple locations, confirming that these ultra-small plastic particles are present in the air we breathe. Since nanoplastics are small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs and potentially enter the bloodstream, reliable measurement methods like this are critical for understanding airborne exposure risks.

2023 Environmental Science & Technology 42 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

Influence of particle characteristics, heating temperature and time on the pyrolysis product distributions of polystyrene micro- and nano-plastics

Researchers systematically evaluated how pyrolysis temperature, heating time, particle size, and mass influence the decomposition products of polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics during pyrolysis-GC/MS analysis, providing critical guidance for improving the accuracy of environmental microplastic detection methods.

2022 Journal of Chromatography A 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantitation of polystyrene by pyrolysis-GC-MS: The impact of polymer standards on micro and nanoplastic analysis

Researchers evaluated how the choice of polystyrene reference standard affects the accuracy of a key method (Pyrolysis-GC-MS) used to detect and measure microplastics and nanoplastics, finding that different standards with varying molecular structures produce substantially different results for the same sample. This highlights an urgent need for standardized reference materials to make microplastic measurement methods more reliable and comparable across labs.

2024 Polymer Testing 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Europium-labelled nanopolystyrene as model nanoplastics for environmental fate investigations: Synthesis and optimisation

Researchers developed a method to track nanoplastics in the environment by embedding the rare-earth element europium into polystyrene nanoparticles, enabling precise detection using single-particle mass spectrometry even at very low concentrations. The europium label stayed locked inside the particles for over a week in both fresh and salt water, making this a reliable tool for studying how nanoplastics move and persist in ecosystems.

2025 Polymer Testing
Article Tier 2

Breaking theSize Barrier: SERS-Based UltrasensitiveDetection and Quantification of Polystyrene Plastics in Real WaterSamples

Researchers introduced a SERS-based detection platform capable of identifying and quantifying polystyrene plastic particles of diverse sizes in real water samples with ultrasensitive detection limits, offering a practical tool for environmental microplastic monitoring.

2025 Figshare