Challenges and Recent Analytical Advances in Micro/Nanoplastic Detection

Anal Chem. 2024 Jun 4;96(22):8846-8854. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c05948. Epub 2024 May 17.

Abstract

Despite growing ecological concerns, studies on microplastics and nanoplastics are still in their initial stages owing to technical hurdles in analytical techniques, especially for nanoplastics. We provide an overview of the general attributes of micro/nanoplastics in natural environments and analytical techniques commonly used for their analysis. After demonstrating the analytical challenges associated with the identification of nanoplastics due to their distinctive characteristics, we discuss recent technological advancements for detecting nanoplastics.