Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for direct analysis of pristine and environmentally aged microplastics : a PCA-based approach

Modlitbová, Pavlína (author), Kočenda, Dominik (author), Holub, Daniel (author), Starin, Mark (author), Novak, Janja (author), Putar, Ula (author), Kalčíková, Gabriela (author), Brunnbauer, Lukas (author), Limbeck, Andreas (author), Pořízka, Pavel (author), Kaiser, Jozef (author)

This study investigates the potential of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) combined with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for the differentiation and characterization of microplastics (MPs) in various stages of environmental aging. Three commonly encountered polymer types, polystyrene, polyethylene, and polyvinyl chloride, in the form of fragments were subjected to controlled aging under abiotic and biotic conditions for one and six weeks in the absence and presence of selected heavy metal ions (cadmium, chromium, and lead) to simulate environmentally relevant contamination. The LIBS-PCA approach effectively distinguishes between pristine and aged MPs and among different polymer types and aging scenarios. Biotic aging led to pronounced elemental changes which were further supported by parallel chlorophyll a measurements assessing the biofilm development. These findings highlight the applicability of LIBS-PCA as a rapid and informative tool for monitoring microplastic transformation in complex environmental settings.

• Language: English
• Keywords: microplastics, biotic aging, abiotic aging, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FKKT - Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: 10 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 235, art. 107353
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-175624
• UDC: 504.5:678:543.42
• ISSN on article: 0584-8547
• DOI: 10.1016/j.sab.2025.107353
• COBISS.SI-ID: 255659779
• Publication date in RUL: 06.11.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Spectrochimica acta : Atomic spectroscopy
• Shortened title: Spectrochim. acta, Part B: At. spectrosc.
• Publisher: Pergamon Press, Elsevier Science
• ISSN: 0584-8547
• COBISS.SI-ID: 26433536

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: mikroplastika, biotsko staranje, abiotsko staranje, lasersko inducirana prebojna spektroskopija