FTIR and Raman Polymer Identification of Microfibres
topic
Microplastic polymer identification uses attenuated total reflectance FTIR or confocal Raman microspectroscopy to match the infrared or Raman spectral signature of individual microfibre particles against reference spectral libraries for polyester, polyamide, polypropylene, acrylic, and elastane, confirming synthetic versus natural fibre origin and distinguishing co-polymer composition variants.
Role
Provides the polymer-resolved microfibre identity data needed to attribute environmental microplastic contamination to specific textile types and to validate analytical methods by distinguishing true synthetic microfibres from naturally derived cellulosic fibres and processing contaminants in complex environmental sample matrices.