Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Microbial Bioremediation of Plastics

Microbial Bioremediation of Plastics

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a synthetic polymer widely utilized in the packaging industry, particularly for bottles and containers. Due to its chemical stability and durability, PET accumulates in the environment, contributing significantly to plastic pollution. It comprises repeating units of terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol, resulting in a semi-crystalline structure that is resistant to natural degradation processes.A notable breakthrough in plastic biodegradation came with the...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Quantification and global emission estimates of antifouling paint-derived microplastics released during ship hull in-water cleaning.

Journal of hazardous materials·2026

Same author

Rapid Surface Charge Mapping Based on a Liquid Crystal Microchip.

Biosensors·2024

Same author

Fundamentals, Algorithms, and Technologies of Occupancy Detection for Smart Buildings Using IoT Sensors.

Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)·2024

Same author

Stearic Acid as an Atomic Layer Deposition Inhibitor: Spectroscopic Insights from AFM-IR.

Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland)·2023

Same author

Metals and suspended solids in the effluents from in-water hull cleaning by remotely operated vehicle (ROV): Concentrations and release rates into the marine environment.

Journal of hazardous materials·2023

Same author

Rapid Detection of Microparticles Using a Microfluidic Resistive Pulse Sensor Based on Bipolar Pulse-Width Multiplexing.

Biosensors·2023

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Protocol for Microplastics Sampling on the Sea Surface and Sample Analysis

Protocol for Microplastics Sampling on the Sea Surface and Sample Analysis

Published on: December 16, 2016

A multimodal Raman - XRF approach for identifying marine coating microplastics in environmental samples.

Zhi Yang Soon¹, Mark Ming-Cheng Cheng², Leixin Ouyang²

¹Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Solomons, MD, USA.

Journal of Hazardous Materials

|February 17, 2026

Summary

Marine coatings are a source of ocean microplastics. Combining Raman spectroscopy and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) effectively identifies and classifies these microplastic particles, improving environmental monitoring.

Keywords:

Marine coatings Microplastics Raman spectroscopy XRF spectroscopy

More Related Videos

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

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

Published on: June 13, 2025

Sampling and Identification of Microplastics in Groundwater

Sampling and Identification of Microplastics in Groundwater

Published on: November 7, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Protocol for Microplastics Sampling on the Sea Surface and Sample Analysis

Protocol for Microplastics Sampling on the Sea Surface and Sample Analysis

Published on: December 16, 2016

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

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

Published on: June 13, 2025

Sampling and Identification of Microplastics in Groundwater

Sampling and Identification of Microplastics in Groundwater

Published on: November 7, 2025

Area of Science:

Environmental Science
Analytical Chemistry
Materials Science

Background:

Marine coatings are an understudied source of microplastic pollution in oceans.
Distinguishing coating microplastics from conventional plastics is challenging due to similar physical and spectral properties.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop and validate a combined Raman spectroscopy and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) approach for identifying and classifying marine coating microplastics.
To differentiate coating-derived microplastics from other common microplastic types in marine environments.

Main Methods:

Utilized Raman spectroscopy for organic vibrational signature analysis.
Integrated X-ray fluorescence (XRF) for elemental composition analysis.
Applied Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to spectral data for classification.

Main Results:

Raman spectroscopy alone showed spectral overlap, limiting accurate classification of coatings.
Integrating XRF elemental data with Raman spectra significantly improved the separation and classification of epoxy, antifouling, anticorrosive, and topcoat materials.
The combined method accurately distinguished copper-rich, zinc-based, epoxy, and topcoat coatings, overcoming limitations of single-technique analysis.

Conclusions:

The combined Raman spectroscopy and XRF approach provides a robust method for identifying and classifying marine coating microplastics.
This multimodal technique enhances accuracy in microplastic source attribution and environmental monitoring.
Portable instruments allow for feasible field application, aiding in the assessment and mitigation of coating-derived microplastic pollution.