DEVELOPMENT OF GOLD NANOSTARS DOPED FLEXIBLE SUBSTRATE FOR POLYSTYRENE MICROPLASTIC DETECTION USING SURFACE-ENHANCED RAMAN SCATTERING (SERS)

---

• Available online in Detritus - Volume 31 - June 2025
• Pages 127-133

---

Abstract

Microplastics are plastic fragments smaller than 5 millimeters, originating from primary sources such as manufactured beads and fibers and secondary degradation of larger plastic materials. As a significant environmental pollutant, microplastics require sensitive and efficient detection techniques. This study presents a simple and cost-effective surface-enhanced Raman scattering method using a flexible substrate composed of gold nanostars deposited on filter paper. Polystyrene particles with an average size of approximately 0.5 µm were used as a model microplastic pollutant to evaluate the performance flexible substrate. The surface-enhanced Raman scattering signal enhancement was analyzed using a benchtop Raman system with a 532 nm excitation wavelength, achieving a detection limit as low as 5 µg/mL and an enhancement factor of approximately 1300. The feasibility of detecting other microplastics, including polyethylene, polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate, was assessed. The results demonstrate that the gold nanostar-based flexible surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrate offers a highly sensitive, portable, and cost-effective alternative for real-world microplastic monitoring in aquatic environments, outperforming conventional spectroscopic techniques.

---

Keywords

• Microplastics
• Polystyrene
• Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)
• Gold nanostars

---

Editorial History

• Received: 31 Dec 2024
• Revised: 30 May 2025
• Accepted: 16 Jun 2025
• Available online: 30 Jun 2025

---

References

Ashrafy, A. et al., (2023). Microplastics Pollution: A Brief Review of Its Source and Abundance in Different Aquatic Ecosystems. Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances, 9, 100215.
DOI 10.1016/j.hazadv.2022.100215

Chakraborty, I. et al., (2023). Raman spectroscopy for microplastic detection in water sources: a systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 20(9), 10435-10448. 10.1007/s13762-022-04505-0

Dastbaz, Z. et al., (2021). Preparation of a stabilized aqueous polystyrene suspension via phase inversion. RSC Advances, 11(29), 17547-17557. 10.1039/D1RA02292J

Dong, H. et al., (2023). Overview of analytical methods for the determination of microplastics: Current status and trends. TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry, 167, 117261.
DOI 10.1016/j.trac.2023.117261

Ghosh, S. et al. (2023). Microplastics as an Emerging Threat to the Global Environment and Human Health. Sustainability, 15(14).
DOI 10.3390/su151410821

Huang, Z. et al., (2023). Analytical methods for microplastics in the environment: a review. Environmental Chemistry Letters, 21(1), 383-401. 10.1007/s10311-022-01525-7

Kihara, S. et al., (2022). Detecting polystyrene nanoplastics using filter paper-based surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. RSC Advances, 12(32), 20519-20522.
DOI 10.1039/D2RA03395J

Li, C. et al., (2022). Uncovering strong π-metal interactions on Ag and Au nanosurfaces under ambient conditions via in-situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Chem, 8(9), 2514-2528. 10.1016/j.chempr.2022.06.008

Li, Z. et al., (2020). Recent developments of flexible and transparent SERS substrates. Journal of Materials Chemistry C, 8(12), 3956-3969. 10.1039/D0TC00002G

Lin, D.-Y. et al. (2023). Design, Fabrication, and Applications of SERS Substrates for Food Safety Detection: Review. Micromachines, 14(7).
DOI 10.3390/mi14071343

Lin, S. et al., (2019). Fabrication of flexible paper-based Surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrate from Au nanocubes monolayer for trace detection of crystal violet on shell. Journal of Raman Spectroscopy, 50(8), 1074-1084.
DOI 10.1002/jrs.5620

Liu, Y. et al., (2024). Direct detection of polystyrene microspheres by using easily fabricated Ag core embedded Au film SERS substrates with high sensitivity. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 12(5), 113311.
DOI 10.1016/j.jece.2024.113311

López-Lorente, Á. I., (2021). Recent developments on gold nanostructures for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy: Particle shape, substrates and analytical applications. A review. Analytica Chimica Acta, 1168, 338474.
DOI 10.1016/j.aca.2021.338474

Mallik, A. et al., (2023). Study of feeding biology and diet-associated microplastic contamination in selected creek fishes of northeastern Arabian Sea: A multi-species approach. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 190, 114875.
DOI 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114875

Mikac, L. et al., (2023). Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy for the detection of microplastics. Applied Surface Science, 608, 155239.
DOI 10.1016/j.apsusc.2022.155239

Ng, C. H. et al., (2023). Plastic waste and microplastic issues in Southeast Asia. 11. 10.3389/fenvs.2023.1142071

Pan, B. et al., (2024). Global trends and hotspots evolution in soil microplastic pollution research: A bibliometric analysis based on the Web of Science. Ecological Indicators, 161, 111974.
DOI 10.1016/j.ecolind.2024.111974

Randhawa, J. S., (2023). Advanced analytical techniques for microplastics in the environment: a review. Bulletin of the National Research Centre, 47(1), 174. 10.1186/s42269-023-01148-0

Rochman, C. M. et al., (2015). Anthropogenic debris in seafood: Plastic debris and fibers from textiles in fish and bivalves sold for human consumption. Scientific Reports, 5(1), 14340. 10.1038/srep14340

Schiavi, S. et al., (2023). Plasmonic Nanomaterials for Micro- and Nanoplastics Detection. Applied Sciences, 13(16).
DOI 10.3390/app13169291

Truong Tran Nguyen, S. et al., (2023). Riverine Microplastics Pollution in Vietnam: A Review of Current Scientific Knowledge and Legal Policies. Applied Environmental Research, 45(3). 10.35762/AER.2023014

Willitsford, A. et al., (2013). Resonance enhanced Raman scatter in liquid benzene at vapor-phase absorption peaks. Optics Express, 21(22), 26150-26161. 10.1364/OE.21.026150

Willitsford, A. H. et al., (2016). Resonance-Enhanced Raman Scattering of Ring-Involved Vibrational Modes in the 1B2u Absorption Band of Benzene, Including the Kekule Vibrational Modes ν9 and ν10. The Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 120(4), 503-506. 10.1021/acs.jpca.5b08159

Xie, L. et al., (2022). State of the art in flexible SERS sensors toward label-free and onsite detection: from design to applications. Nano Research, 15(5), 4374-4394. 10.1007/s12274-021-4017-4

Xu, G. et al., (2020). Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Facilitates the Detection of Microplastics <1 μm in the Environment. Environmental Science & Technology, 54(24), 15594-15603.
DOI 10.1021/acs.est.0c02317

Yin, R. et al., (2021). Sensitive and rapid detection of trace microplastics concentrated through Au-nanoparticle-decorated sponge on the basis of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Environmental Advances, 5, 100096.
DOI 10.1016/j.envadv.2021.100096

Zhang, D. et al., (2021). Advances in flexible surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates for nondestructive food detection: Fundamentals and recent applications. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 109, 690-701.
DOI 10.1016/j.tifs.2021.01.058

Zhang, Y. et al., (2023). Fabrication of flexible SERS substrate based on Au nanostars and PDMS for sensitive detection of Thiram residue in apple juice. Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy, 297, 122721.
DOI 10.1016/j.saa.2023.122721

Zhao, X., & You, F., (2024). Microplastic Human Dietary Uptake from 1990 to 2018 Grew across 109 Major Developing and Industrialized Countries but Can Be Halved by Plastic Debris Removal. Environmental Science & Technology, 58(20), 8709-8723. 10.1021/acs.est.4c00010

Zhou, G. et al., (2024). Observing π–Au Interaction between Aromatic Molecules and Single Au Nanodimers with a Subnanometer Gap by SERS. Analytical Chemistry, 96(1), 197-203. 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c03600

Related Contents

• BIODEGRADATION OF EXPANDED POLYSTYRENE USING PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA VITARK5

  Arun Dhanasekaran, Kritika Tiwari, Arpita Bhange, Shankha Shubhra Ghosh and Krishnan Kannabiran

  Published 30 Jun 2025
• WHERE DO THEY GO? A REVIEW OF THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PROCESS AND ITS IMPACT ON THE FATE OF MICROPLASTICS

  Guadalupe Vianey Landeros Gonzalez, Gabriela Dominguez Cortinas, Malcolm Hudson, Peter Shaw and Ian D. Williams

  Published 30 Jun 2025
• A REVIEW OF POTENTIAL PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL MARKERS FOR TYRE AND ROAD WEAR PARTICLES

  Zainab Tariq, Ian D. Williams, Andrew Cundy, Lina Maria Zapata-Restrepo and Malcolm Hudson

  Published 30 Jun 2025

---