When reading both scientific literature and general media today, it is abundantly clear the level of interest there is in microplastics in the Environment. While a recent WHO study identified there was insufficient information to conclude on the health impacts, more and more research is demonstrating the widespread nature of these plastics. While one branch of science will continue to work to determine the potential impacts of microplastics in the environment and the food chain, another branch will continue to work to understand the spread and sources of these. As this area of research expands and with the potential for it to move into a routine testing application, there is a clear need for faster and more robust testing methods. There is also a need to develop testing methods that provide rich information on the plastics present. It is no longer enough to simply give total particle counts or total mass of polymers present. To better understand this topic, researches need information on the size and shape of particles present in addition to the plastic-type.  Vibrational spectroscopy is a useful technique and when combined with microscopy, it can be employed to explore particles down to the lowest micron level. FTIR and Raman microscopy has become the mainstay of most microplastics investigations and while they certainly have their advantages, they also have limitations that preclude them from providing the robust tool required for more large scale investigations.  Infrared spectroscopy combined with a bright coherent laser light source can overcome many of the limitations of these traditional techniques. The bright laser with a coherent beam allows all the light to be focused onto the smallest particles facilitating very rapid analysis without the fluorescence and sample damage issues of Raman spectroscopy and the huge data files needed for FTIR analysis. In this paper, we present results of studies several studies using an Infrared spectrometer utilizing a Quantum Cascade Laser for the characterization and quantitation of microplastics and we discuss the role this technology may have in the development of standardized methods for rapid and routine analysis of microplastics in various environmental samples.

Novel approach to Infrared spectroscopy and imaging for the routine characterization of microplastics in environmental samples

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.