Israeli chemists have developed a sensitive device that can detect the presence of nano-sized plastic particles in the air. This was reported by the press service of the American Chemical Society (ACS).
The aim of the study was to find out whether it is possible to create a device to monitor the concentration of dangerous plastics in real time. To solve this problem, they used carbon dots, carbon nanoparticles, which are formed when a source material containing a lot of carbon, such as sugar or other organic matter, is heated at moderate temperature for several hours.
Scientists have created an “electronic nose” by depositing thin layers of various carbon dots on tiny fingernail-sized electrodes. They used interconnected electrodes with two sides interspersed with comb structures. Depending on the capacity, an electric charge is formed between the two sides. “When something happens to the carbon dots – they either adsorb gas molecules or pieces of nanoplastic – there is a change in capacitance that we can easily measure,” the authors explain.
Next, the scientists ran tests with three types of plastics: polystyrene, polypropylene, and polymethylacrylate. Tests have shown that the “electronic nose” can detect even small concentrations of nanoparticles in the air, as well as determine the approximate size of nanostructures and their danger to humans. In the near future, the scientists plan to test whether the sensor can detect the types of plastic and evaluate the concentration of its particles in the environment.
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