Paper Number
PO83                         My Program 

Session
Poster Session

Title
Developing an optical microscopy method for identifying microplastics in environmental samples

Presentation Date and Time
October 22, 2025 (Wednesday) 6:30

Track / Room
Poster Session / Sweeney Ballroom E+F

Authors (Click on name to view author profile)

1. Hajirezaei, Mohammadjavad (University of Rhode Island, Department of Chemical, Molecular and Material Engineering)
2. Poling-Skutvik, Ryan (University of Rhode Island, Chemical, Biomolecular, and Material Engineering)

Author and Affiliation Lines (in printed abstract book)
Mohammadjavad Hajirezaei and Ryan Poling-Skutvik
Chemical, Biomolecular, and Material Engineering, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881

Speaker / Presenter 
Hajirezaei, Mohammadjavad

Keywords
experimental methods; microscopy; techniques

Text of Abstract
Microplastic contamination in coastal environments poses a growing threat to ecosystems and human health, yet current detection methods for these microscopic particles are often limited by long processing times, high cost, limited availability, and low signal detection for complex samples. This project aims to develop an optical microscopy technique using Differential Dynamic Microscopy (DDM) to identify and characterize microplastics in environmental water samples. A DDM-based approach would provide valuable information to help track microplastics. To test the approach, PMMA and polystyrene microplastic samples were prepared in water and imaged with brightfield microscopy. Videos of particles were recorded for measurement with DDM. Results verify that the diffusivity increases from the substrate bottom upwards toward the center of the specimen, demonstrating the particles are in genuine Brownian motion. Additionally, the amplitude extracted with DDM is a function of the wavevector (q), and the local minima in amplitude can define the effective length scale of the particles.