Developing an application to automate and improve microplastic analyses using Raman spectroscopy

微塑料污染已成为全球关注的污染物。微塑料存在于土壤、水、野生动物、海鲜和饮用水中。量化和表征环境样品中微塑料的方法正在进行中，公司正在努力帮助研究人员设计更准确和有效的方法。这是至关重要的，因为要全面了解微塑料在环境中的来源、去向和影响，我们必须配备高效和有效的技术和方法**来测量复杂样品中微塑料的数量和多样性。**我们的首要目标是实现方法的自动化，并建立专门针对微塑料的光谱库。与Horiba一起**，我们将开发一个基于应用程序的库来实现自动化，并开发一个光谱库来**简化库搜索。这将是第一个利用拉曼光谱开发的针对**微塑料的应用方法和库。我们的工作计划将包括：1)开发多样化的微塑料**库；2)开发基于应用的微塑料库，以确定**表征微塑料的最佳参数；以及3)自动化微塑料分析。**最终产品将是一种更高吞吐量的方法，可用于计算、测量和鉴定复杂环境样品中的**微塑料。我们的目标不仅是开发这些方法，而且要在全国范围内与我们的政府同事分享这些方法。这样的方法可以促进更有效的**监测计划，这些计划将为政策提供信息，以减轻和防止我们**生态系统和资源中出现的这种污染。

Microplastic pollution has become a contaminant of concern globally. Microplastics are found in soils, water,**wildlife, seafood and drinking water. Methodologies for quantifying and characterizing microplastics in**environmental samples is a work in progress and companies are working hard to help researchers design more**accurate and efficient methods. This is critical, because to wholly understand the sources, fate and effects of**microplastics in the environment, we must be equipped with efficient and effective technologies and methods**to measure the quantity and diversity of microplastic in complex samples.**Our overarching goal is to automate methods and to build a spectral library specific to microplastics. Together,**with Horiba, we will develop an application-based library to enable automation and a spectral library to**streamline the library search. This will be the first application method and library to be developed specific to**microplastics using Raman spectroscopy. Our work plan will include: 1) developing a diverse microplastics**library; 2) developing an application-based library for microplastics to identify the best parameters for**characterizing microplastics; and 3) automating microplastics analysis.**The end product will be a higher throughput method that can be used to count, measure and identify**microplastics in complex environmental samples. Our goal is to not only develop these methods, but also to**share them across the country with our government colleagues. Such methods can facilitate more effective**monitoring programs that will inform policies to mitigate and prevent this emerging contaminate in our**ecosystems and resources.