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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 18, 2025

Multimodal Analysis of Microplastics in Drinking Water using a Silicon Nanomembrane Analysis Pipeline
09:10

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Published on: June 13, 2025

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Unveiling microplastics from zippers: Characterisation and visualisation through Raman imaging analysis.

Cheng Fang1, Saianand Gopalan1, Jingxian Yu2

  • 1Global Centre for Environmental Remediation (GCER), University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC CARE), University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.

The Science of the Total Environment
|August 18, 2023
PubMed
Summary

Plastic zippers on clothing release microplastics. This study used microscopy and Raman imaging to identify these particles, estimating up to 410 microplastics per zip, highlighting a common source of daily contamination.

Keywords:
Imaging analysisMicroplasticRamanSEMTitanium oxideZipper

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Materials Science
  • Analytical Chemistry

Background:

  • Microplastic contamination is a growing global environmental concern.
  • Plastics are ubiquitous in consumer products, including clothing and textiles.
  • Potential sources of microplastic pollution require thorough investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate microplastic release from plastic zippers found in clothing.
  • To characterize the morphology and chemical composition of zipper-derived microplastics.
  • To estimate the quantity of microplastics released during zipper usage.

Main Methods:

  • Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) for visualizing zipper wear and particle morphology.
  • Raman Imaging for chemical identification and spatial distribution analysis of microplastics.
  • Chemometrics applied to hyperspectral data to enhance signal-to-noise ratio and avoid analysis bias.

Main Results:

  • SEM confirmed scratches on zipper teeth and identified derived particles.
  • Raman imaging successfully identified plastic composition and co-ingredients like titanium oxide.
  • Estimated potential release of up to ~410 microplastics per zipper use cycle.
  • Demonstrated the effectiveness of imaging analysis and chemometrics for microplastic characterization.

Conclusions:

  • Plastic zippers represent a significant, previously underestimated source of microplastic pollution.
  • Awareness of microplastic release from everyday items like zippers is crucial.
  • Advanced analytical techniques like Raman imaging are vital for identifying and quantifying microplastic sources.