Microplastic <i>in situ</i> detection based on a portable triboelectric microfluidic sensor
Abbas Motalebizadeh, Somayeh Fardindoost, Julia Jungwirth, Nishat Tasnim, Mina Hoorfar
Abstract
measurement of the size and concentration of polystyrene (PS) micro-particles in water. The M-TES sensor relies on inducing and measuring electrical charges generated by microplastic flow within water droplets passing through a microfluidic channel. The experimental samples encompass pure polystyrene (PS) microparticles ranging from 500 nm to 10 μm, as well as actual samples collected from a coffee machine. The results reveal that the sensor's response exhibits a linear correlation with the increase in both microplastic size and concentration. The proposed sensing system could distinguish between microplastics of different sizes and concentrations. The results demonstrate the applicability of the M-TES in the field of sensors for environmental monitoring.