Microplastics

Enabling submicron microplastics and nanoplastics analysis for human health research

mIRage™ photothermal infrared spectroscopy uniquey delivers automated chemical identification of micro- and nanoplastics down to sub-300 nm in cells and tissues

Why new measurement approaches are needed

Understanding the impact of microplastics on human health requires reliable detection and chemical identification at the smallest scales. However, most conventional techniques face critical limitations:

Raman microscopy is limited by fluorescence interference, low sensitivity and is prone to misidentifying fats/lipids/stearates with PE
Traditional Direct IR (FTIR/LDIR/QCL) microscopy is constrained by diffraction limits (~10 µm), missing smaller particles and intracellular biochemical detail
SRS microscopy is hindered by complex instrumentation, limited chemical specificity and spectral range, and restricted sampling options.
Pyrolysis GC-MS is destructive, lacks spatial information and is prone to misidentification of some polymers like PE and PVC with biological materials

Thus, submicron and nanoplastics, which are the most biologically relevant size fraction, remain difficult to measure and identify.

These gaps limit the ability to study microplastics in biological systems, where particles are often small, heterogeneous, and embedded in complex matrices.

O-PTIR sub-1 µm resolution tissue imaging (right) vs FTIR imaging (resolution 10µm) (left)

How the mIRage multimodal O-PTIR products overcomes these challenges

The mIRage™ O-PTIR based spectroscopy and microscopy products uniquely enable chemical identification and imaging and sizing of micro- and nanoplastics at sub 500nm scales while providing biochemical information on the impact on cells and tissues of the presence of these particles.

Submicron resolution detection (~300 nm): Detect and identify particles and biochemical cellular responses below the limits of traditional IR & Raman spectroscopy
O-PTIR provides optical measurements (non-contact, no ATR) with FTIR transmission/ATR-like spectra, collected in reflection mode.
Direct Analysis in MPs/NPs in cells and tissues with simultaneous biochemical insights
featurefindIR^TM workflow that addresses automation and ease of use for particle selection and identification
Unique multi-modal capabilities leveraging co-located widefield and/or confocal fluorescence microscopy to align with existing life science workflows and for providing targeted regions of interest for O-PTIR chemical analysis.

This combination allows researchers to study microplastics in biological environments with greater confidence, particularly at the size scales most relevant to human health.

Read below to learn more about why the National Institute of Standards and the US FDA selected the mIRage product for microplastics measurements.

mIRage with O-PTIR continues to gain widespread adoption for microplastics research in academia, industry, and government, with recent installations at NIST, FDA and leading microplastics research institutions.

The new mIRage HSi, provides higher speed measurements.

250nm PMMA polymer beads on. 200nm pore size Anodisc (Alumina) filters

O-PTIR performance for nanoplastics imaging in tissues

<500 nm

Infrared spatial resolution

Glass slides

compatible reflection geometry

IR+Raman+FL

co-located multimodal confirmation

Identifying microplastics in tissues & cells

What is it? Separates out the small nanoplastics from the tissue.

Comparison of mean spectra from tissue regions containing nanoplastics (orange) versus adjacent nanoplastic-free (blue) regions. The nanoplastic-containing regions (orange) exhibit distinct peaks at ~1213 cm⁻¹ and ~1159 cm⁻¹, corresponding to asymmetric and symmetric C–F stretching, respectively. These bands are absent from surrounding tissue and do not overlap with amide I/II or lipid carbonyl features, thereby minimising common sources of false-positive interference

Where is it? High speed single/multi wavelength imaging.

Detection and chemical identification of a ~1.2 µm PTFE microplastic particle in intact formalin-fixed tissue using O-PTIR. This demonstrates that discrete polymer regions as small as ~1 µm can be resolved in situ without extraction or disruption of tissue architecture. Single- (or multi-) frequency chemical imaging (top left) highlights sparse high-intensity particles, while a zoomed region of interest (top right) confirms particle morphology and size. The corresponding single-particle spectrum (bottom), acquired from one of the larger particles, exhibits characteristic PTFE bands at ~1213 and ~1170 cm⁻¹, enabling confident chemical identification.

Nano/microplastic cell interactions

O-PTIR imaging reveals the spatial localization of polystyrene (PS) microbeads within cells using IR chemical contrast, while simultaneous Raman spectroscopy provides complementary molecular confirmation.

Fluorescence signal, from fluorescently labelled PS beads, identifies bead location, and the IR ratio image enhances contrast relative to the cellular background, enabling confident correlation between particle position and biochemical environment.

Sample Courtesy of Prof Gary Hardiman, Queens University Belfast

O-PTIR microplastic tissue workflow: Teflon detection

FEATURED CASE STUDY

Workflow for in situ polymer identification in complex tissue using O-PTIR and FeatureFindIR

A structured workflow for detecting and identifying polymer particles directly within intact tissue using brightfield screening, supported by optional orthogonal contrast imaging (e.g., fluorescence, dark-field, or polarized light) to aid candidate detection. Automated identification (FeatureFindIR) guides targeted O-PTIR spectral acquisition, followed by ChemID-based library matching for polymer confirmation. Optional chemical mapping and ratio imaging enhance contrast and spatial interpretation. The workflow supports analysis in complex biological environments without extraction, preserving tissue architecture while addressing spectral overlap through background subtraction, spectral fitting, or unmixing.

Multimodal tissue analytics: polymer ID plus biological context

O-PTIR becomes especially valuable when combined with simultaneous, co-located Raman capability and optional correlation with brightfield or fluorescence microscopy. This multimodal approach helps distinguish particle chemistry, cellular responses and allows the use traditional fluorescence labelling approaches.

Publications

Method for label-free & non-destructive detection of microplastics in human formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections

First Author: Elisabeth S. Gruber, Department of General Surgery, Medical University Vienna, Austria

Polystyrene nanoplastic exposure promotes amyloid misfolding and metabolic impairment at sub-lethal doses. A subcellular infrared imaging study

First Author: Oxana Klementieva, Lund University, Sweden

Label-free non-destructive spectroscopic detection of mixed microplastic uptake and differential effects on intestinal epithelial cells

First Author: Charlotte E. Sofield, University of Notre Dame Australia and Curtin University.

Label-free identification and imaging of microplastic and nanoplastic biouptake using optical photothermal infrared microspectroscopy.

First Author: Jun-Ray Macairan, Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University

Advancing microplastic characterization in environmental samples using optical photothermal infrared (O-PTIR) spectroscopy

First Author: Moayad Yacoub, School of Earth, Environment, & Sustainability, Ball State University, USA

Optical photothermal infrared spectroscopy with simultaneously acquired Raman spectroscopy for two-dimensional microplastic identification

First Author: Julia Sophie Böke et al, Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology

Webinars

Life Science | Microplastics

Nanoplastic-induced protein misfolding – A submicron IR study of molecular changes in biological systems

In this webinar, Assoc. Prof. Oxana Klementieva will present new findings based on her recent paper: Polystyrene nanoplastic exposure promotes amyloid misfolding and metabolic impairment at sublethal doses. A subcellular infrared imaging study.

Life Science | Microplastics

Overcoming Raman microscopy challenges in microplastics and life sciences

Raman microscopy is widely used for chemical identification and chemical imaging, yet many real-world organic samples remain difficult to analyze with Raman. Biological tissues, cells, and environmental microplastic samples often exhibit strong fluorescence backgrounds, while weak scattering limits sensitivity. This webinar will discuss a breakthrough new sub-500nm IR spectroscopy technique called Optical photothermal IR spectroscopy (O-PTIR).

Microplastics

Microplastics in cells: accurate identification and biological response

In this webinar, Dr. Kamilla Kochan (Monash University) will present work using submicron IR spectroscopy and imageing with Optical Photothermal Infrared (O-PTIR) spectroscopy to chemically identify individual microplastic particles inside intestinal epithelial cells while simultaneously monitoring cellular biochemical response. Submicron IR spectroscopy distinguishes polymers such as PE and PVC from biological long-chain aliphatics, linking verified particle presence and localization with

Microplastics

O-PTIR demonstration: Microplastics analysis – North America

Discover how straightforward it is to chemically identify and characterize microplastics with submicron spatial resolution. Join Dr. Eoghan Dillon when he demonstrates the mIRage-LS O-PTIR live from our facility in Santa Barbara, California.

Microplastics

O-PTIR demonstration: Microplastics analysis – Europe

Join Miriam Unger and Carolin Borbeck for a 1-hour interactive O-PTIR demo showcasing how multimodal IR, Raman, and co-located fluorescence microscopy identifies micro- and nano plastics with sub-micron spatial resolution.

Life Science | Microplastics

Seeing the particles that matter: Submicron IR + Raman for real-world particulates

Why O-PTIR Is the Only Routine Tool for Accurate Particulate Characterization Below 10 Microns. Join us for a groundbreaking webinar on how optical photothermal infrared spectroscopy (O-PTIR)—with simultaneous Raman and co-located fluorescence—uniquely enables routine, label-free, high-resolution vibrational spectroscopy of submicron and even sub-500 nm particles.

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.