Abstract
Micro- and nanoplastic particle contaminations in the environment, especially in water, are increasingly seen as a health risk in recent years. To assess this threat, a method for directly detecting and identifying microand nanoplastics in liquids is being developed in the recently launched Nano-Vision project. It is based on a correlation between an optofluidic force induction method (OF2i®) and Raman microscopy.
Optofluidic Force Induction OF2i® is a novel high throughput counting technique that uses optical and fluidic forces for single-nanoparticle characterization. The OF2i technology uses weakly focused structured laser light to trap particles in liquids on the intensity maximum of a laser beam and (de)accelerate them in a microfluidic flow channel through momentum transfer between light and matter. An ultramicroscope setup records the scattering light and the acceleration of the illuminated particles at a 90° angle. From the obtained data, a calibration-free model provides particle size, size distributions, and concentrations ranging from several tens of nanometers up to several micrometers. As the OF2i-technique examines the elastically scattered light, it can naturally be combined with a Raman microscope by introducing a second path for the inelastically scattered
light. In contrast to conventional Raman techniques, which usually operate with laser powers in the milliwatt range, a 2-watt laser is used in the recently developed OF2i-Raman approach. This should help in overcoming the small signal strength of Raman scattering.
The flow channel of the OF2i-Raman technique can be operated in both forward (dynamic) and backward directions (steady-state). First promising results show dynamic single-particle Raman signals of polystyrene in the μm-range and steady-state measurements in the submicrometer regime. A combination of the OF2i® technology with Raman microscopy could enable the chemical analysis of nanoparticles with unmatched speed and versatility.
Optofluidic Force Induction OF2i® is a novel high throughput counting technique that uses optical and fluidic forces for single-nanoparticle characterization. The OF2i technology uses weakly focused structured laser light to trap particles in liquids on the intensity maximum of a laser beam and (de)accelerate them in a microfluidic flow channel through momentum transfer between light and matter. An ultramicroscope setup records the scattering light and the acceleration of the illuminated particles at a 90° angle. From the obtained data, a calibration-free model provides particle size, size distributions, and concentrations ranging from several tens of nanometers up to several micrometers. As the OF2i-technique examines the elastically scattered light, it can naturally be combined with a Raman microscope by introducing a second path for the inelastically scattered
light. In contrast to conventional Raman techniques, which usually operate with laser powers in the milliwatt range, a 2-watt laser is used in the recently developed OF2i-Raman approach. This should help in overcoming the small signal strength of Raman scattering.
The flow channel of the OF2i-Raman technique can be operated in both forward (dynamic) and backward directions (steady-state). First promising results show dynamic single-particle Raman signals of polystyrene in the μm-range and steady-state measurements in the submicrometer regime. A combination of the OF2i® technology with Raman microscopy could enable the chemical analysis of nanoparticles with unmatched speed and versatility.
Original language | English |
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Pages | 70 |
Publication status | Published - 2023 |
Event | ASEM Workshop 2023: Workshop on Advanced Electron Microscopy - University of Vienna, Wien, Austria Duration: 13 Apr 2023 → 14 Apr 2023 |
Conference
Conference | ASEM Workshop 2023 |
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Country/Territory | Austria |
City | Wien |
Period | 13/04/23 → 14/04/23 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Materials Science
Fields of Expertise
- Advanced Materials Science
Treatment code (Nähere Zuordnung)
- Basic - Fundamental (Grundlagenforschung)