Global concern about the issues derived from plastics is well known. The presence of microplastics and nanoplastics in aquatic, terrestrial and atmospheric ecosystems, as well as in different consumer products, leads to an increasing exposure for human population and hence a potential impact on human health. Once the plastics are released into the environment, they can suffer from different transformation and degradation processes that can drive to the formation of microplastics (< 5mm) and nanoplastics (< 1 µm). For this reason, understanding the environmental impact of microplastics has become a crucial priority for the preservation of ecosystems and the protection of human health.

In this context, the development of analytical methods for the correct identification, characterization and quantification of microplastics is essential. However, the lack of different types of microplastic standards is an important drawback, as in practice these standards are restricted to polystyrene particles of different diameters. The aim of this work is the development of a methodological platform based on the use of single particle ICP-MS (SP-ICP-MS) and dynamic image analysis (DIA) for the morphological characterization and quantification of microparticle suspensions from different polymers. For this purpose, sample preparation protocols based on grinding of the corresponding raw plastic material, in combination with fractionation by centrifugation and subsequent analysis by SP-ICP-MS and DIA, have been proposed for the simple preparation and characterization of microplastic suspensions.

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the project PID2021-123203OB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe” and the Government of Aragon (E29_23R). I. A. thanks the European Union-Next Generation EU and the Spanish Ministry of Universities for funding under the María Zambrano Grant (MZ-240621).