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 measurable cellular changes, all without labels or dyes.
The session will begin with a short background and application overview showing how submicron IR improves identification confidence in biological samples.
What You Will Learn:
• Why intracellular microplastics are difficult to verify analytically
• How Raman spectroscopy can over-assign polyethylene in biological matrices
• Why certain polymers (e.g., PVC) can be challenging for pyrolysis-GC-MS in complex samples
• How O-PTIR provides polymer-specific IR fingerprints that separate plastics from biological aliphatics
• How one measurement links particle identification, localization, and cellular biochemical response