Polystyrene

Study details lab methods for probing chemical reactivity at microplastic surfaces

Researchers describe materials and methods used to study how microplastics such as polystyrene, polyethylene and PVC interact chemically with water at their surfaces. The methods include characterizing microplastic surface purity with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and using fluorescent probes, dyes and labeled DNA to track reactive activity and molecule binding at plastic-water interfaces.