Microplastics

Learn how O-PTIR technology overcomes the limitations of FTIR and Raman techniques to provide the most comprehensive chemical ID of sub-10 µm microplastics with high speed FTIR quality spectra.

Why O-PTIR for microplastics research?

The mIRage-LS platform uniquely provides automated chemical ID of microplastics down to sub-micron size in a wide range of environmental and biological environments.

The mIRage platform:

Provides accurate measurement of a wide range of critical <20 um microplastics that are poorly resolved by other IR techniques
Overcomes many of the limitations of Raman for microplastics measurement but can also provide complementary and confirmatory results with simultaneous IR+Raman
Co-located O-PTIR and fluorescence provides a unique combination to quickly identify specific microplastics types and provide sub-micron IR spectra
featurefindIR™ provides automated measurement and chemical ID of microplastics

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Automated, rapid, sub-micron IR and chemical identification of particles and microplastics

Detect, select, measure, identify

The featurefindIR provides rapid, automated detection, spectroscopic measurement, and chemical identification of microplastics and other particles, significantly improving the productivity of measurement and providing a basis for measurements of large number of samples in applications including but not limited to microplastics, defect contamination and cells analysis, as well as many other sample types.

Sub-micron IR shape and size independent spectra

O-PTIR image and spectra of PS and PMMA dispersed in saline

As a demonstration of O-PTIR capability to measure various particle shapes and sizes with artifact-free data collection, mIRage measures PS (0.9 µm, 2.0 µm, 4.5 µm and 10 µm) and PMMA beads (3.0 µm) in salt crystal mixture, shown in high-resolution IR images at key absorption bands.

Distortion free spectra, even amongst salt crystals at hotspots, confirm the identity of the microplastics and readily searched against IR database. Importantly, and unlike traditional FTIR/QCL systems, spectra are consistent, regardless of particle shape or size when measured in reflection mode with no dispersive scatter artefacts.

Simultaneous O-PTIR and Raman spectroscopy

The mIRage platforms ability to measure simultaneous sub-micron O-PTIR and Raman at the same spot and same time, providing significantly higher throughput than measuring with the 2 techniques separately.

The image shows combined spectra (IR+Raman) from a single 500 nm bead and a cluster of 2 µm beads. The spectra are raw and unprocessed and note that the spectra look the same highlighting size independent spectra at small sizes.

Imaging small microplastics in tissue

The O-PTIR spectra show a clear differentiation between polyethylene domains and those without. Large C-H stretching (~ 2800-3000 cm^-1) and smaller C-H bending modes (~1470 cm^-1) are observed and are consistent with spectra shown in published work.

O-PTIR imaging shows the high-resolution distribution of the polyethylene (Red) domains within the tissue section. Additional changes within the tissue are also observed close to the edges, highlighted by the 1080 cm^-1 (yellow) distribution in the O-PTIR image.

Faster detection with co-located O-PTIR and Fluorescence microscopy

mIRage and mIRage-LS uniquely provide co-located O-PTIR and fluorescence microscopy for faster detection and measurement of organic microplastics.

Fluorescence tagging of polymeric beads can help to isolate the polymer particles from other particles for subsequent high speed spectroscopy measurement with O-PTIR, thus dramatically speeding up microplastics detection and subsequent micro-Chemical ID analysis.

Read our applications note for more information.

Fast accurate microplastics Chemical ID with dual IR/Raman database

Simultaneous O-PTIR and Raman spectroscopy also provides complementary chemical ID with the KNOWITALL dual IR/Raman database resulting in an optimized HQI value for fast accurate chemical ID.

Top row. Optical image of particle 1, and Wiley KnowItAll dual IR/Raman database search result for O-PTIR/Raman spectra collected on particle 1

Bottom row. Optical image of particle 2 and Wiley KnowItAll dual IR/Raman database search result for O-PTIR/Raman spectra collected on particle 2

Application note:

Sub-micron IR and chemical ID of particles and microplastics

Webinar:

New automated sub-micron microplastics identification with infrared, O-PTIR spectroscopy

Data sheet:

Automated, rapid, sub-micron IR and chemical ID of particles and microplastics

Webinars

Microplastics

Particle analysis with submicron IR spectroscopy and simultaneous Raman – Microplastics, fibers and atmospheric aerosols

Asst. Prof. Andrew Ault and co-workers demonstrate the novel application of submicron IR and simultaneous Raman for the physiochemical analysis of atmospheric aerosols with aerodynamic diameters <400nm.

Microplastics

Accurate microplastics identification from <500nm to mm’s with submicron O-PTIR and simultaneous Raman

Join us in this two part event. In the first part view a webinar on how to conduct robust, reliable and accurate MPs analysis of small (<500nm) to large (mm’s) MPs on the one instrument without encountering any of pitfalls, challenges and artefacts seen with traditional direct FTIR/QCL and Raman microscopy.

Microplastics

New automated sub-micron microplastics identification with infrared, O-PTIR spectroscopy

Join our webinar to learn how our new “featurefindIR™“ software automation tool is being used to conduct automated, rapid, reproducible and accurate MPs (and microfibers) analysis of the more biologically relevant very small (<500nm) to large (mm’s) MPs on the one instrument.

Biopharma / Microplastics

Advances in submicron IR and simultaneous Raman for Microplastics Characterization

Please join Dr Junli Xi, from the School of Biosystems and Food Engineering, University College Dublin, Ireland in this two-part webinar to learn how sub-micron IR has been applied to characterize microplastics (MPs) (1-66µm in size) that are shed from intravenous fluid delivery system, into the human bloodstream, as she presents results from her exciting recent publication.

Need more information?

Discover how O-PTIR technology can elevate your research or help solve your toughest challenges. Our team are happy to assist and answer your questions.