Microplastic particles are in the micrometer range and are difficult to detect. Various analytical approaches to the determination and quantification of microplastics are currently being scientifically discussed.
Researchers around the world are working on standardized analysis solutions to best characterize these small particles in terms of chemical identity, size, shape and total mass.
Smaller microplastic particles have the highest biological and toxicological relevance. The smaller the particle, the greater the potential risk. For this reason, it is particularly important to detect, measure and analyze even the smallest particles. The chemical identification of these very small microplastic particles can be done using FTIR microscopy, FTIR array microscopy, Raman microscopy and laser-based imaging and spectroscopy techniques. The approaches differ greatly in terms of the duration of the analysis.
The following overview with a classification from 0 to 3 possible points illustrates this:
Spectroscope/
microscope |
Particle
size |
Shape and
form
characterization |
Speed |
Chemical
ID |
| LDIR |
>5 µm |
2 |
3 |
3 |
| FTIR |
>10 µm |
1 |
1 |
3 |
| Raman |
>1 µm |
1 |
1 |
2 |
| SEM |
<1 µm |
3 |
2 |
0 |
Membranes for microplastic analysis
We have developed our aluminum-coated track-etched filters i3 TrackPor PA and i3 TrackPor PAR especially for microplastics. The membranes are produced for the analysis of all particle sizes and, thanks to the homogeneous coating, offer excellent reflection for all common types of microscopy and spectroscopy.