Efficient V-Shaped Substrate for Surface and Volume Enhanced Raman Spectroscopic Analysis of Bioaerosol: Prevention from Potential Health Risk.

Bioaerosols pose a great threat to human life and health, and developing highly efficient and accurate identification and analysis methodologies for bioaerosols provides prerequisite knowledge to evaluate their toxicity on human health. In this paper, a rapid and economical method is proposed for the detection of bioaerosols based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The SERS substrate was prepared using an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template with an inverted conical (V-shaped) nanopore array structure that was subsequently deposited with Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) through magnetron sputtering.

Nanoplastics Detected in Commercial Sea Salt.

People of all ages consume salt every day, but is it really just salt? Plastic nanoparticles [nanoplastics (NPs)] pose an increasing environmental threat and have begun to contaminate everyday salt in consumer goods. Herein, we developed a combined surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) approach that can realize the filtration, enrichment, and detection of NPs in commercial salt. The Au-loaded (50 nm) anodic alumina oxide substrate was used as the SERS substrate to explore the potential types of NP contaminants in salts.

Significantly Accelerated Photochemical Perfluorooctanoic Acid Decomposition at the Air-Water Interface of Microdroplets.

The efficient elimination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) from the environment remains a huge challenge and requires advanced technologies. Herein, we demonstrate that perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) photochemical decomposition could be significantly accelerated by simply carrying out this process in microdroplets. The almost complete removal of 100 and 500 μg/L PFOA was observed after 20 min of irradiation in microdroplets, while this was achieved after about 2 h in the corresponding bulk phase counterpart.

Prebiotic synthesis of mineral-bearing microdroplet from inorganic carbon photoreduction at air-water interface.

The origin of life on Earth is an enigmatic and intricate conundrum that has yet to be comprehensively resolved despite recent significant developments within the discipline of archaeology and geology. Chemically, metal-sulfide minerals are speculated to serve as an important medium for giving birth in early life, while yet so far direct evidence to support the hypothesis for the highly efficient conversion of inorganic carbon into praxiological biomolecules remains scarce. In this work, we provide an initial indication that sphalerite, employed as a typical mineral, shows its enormous capability for promoting the conversion of inorganic carbon into elementary biomolecule formic acid (HCOOH) in airborne mineral-bearing aerosol microdroplet, which is over two orders of magnitude higher than that of the corresponding conventional bulk-like aqueous phase medium in the environment (e.

Rapid detection of nanoplastics down to 20 nm in water by surface-enhanced raman spectroscopy.

Plastic pollution represents a pressing global environmental issue, with microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) being ubiquitously found in both food and the environment. However, the investigation of NPs has been hampered by limited detection technologies, necessitating the development of advanced techniques. This study introduces a sol-based surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) approach for the swift detection of MPs and NPs in aqueous environment.

Automatic Identification of Individual Nanoplastics by Raman Spectroscopy Based on Machine Learning.

The increasing prevalence of nanoplastics in the environment underscores the need for effective detection and monitoring techniques. Current methods mainly focus on microplastics, while accurate identification of nanoplastics is challenging due to their small size and complex composition. In this work, we combined highly reflective substrates and machine learning to accurately identify nanoplastics using Raman spectroscopy.

Significant Acceleration of Photocatalytic CO Reduction at the Gas-Liquid Interface of Microdroplets.

Solar-driven CO reduction reaction (CO RR) is largely constrained by the sluggish mass transfer and fast combination of photogenerated charge carriers. Herein, we find that the photocatalytic CO RR efficiency at the abundant gas-liquid interface provided by microdroplets is two orders of magnitude higher than that of the corresponding bulk phase reaction. Even in the absence of sacrificial agents, the production rates of HCOOH over WO  ⋅ 0.