ArticleFrontiers in chemistry2026
Sizing and quantification of micro- and nanoplastics by single particle ICP-MS: a comparison between quadrupole and high-resolution instruments.
Article in Frontiers in chemistry, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) are widespread environmental pollutants of growing concern due to their persistence and impacts on ecosystems and human health. Their small size, chemical complexity, and low environmental concentrations make accurate detection and quantification challenging. Single-particle (sp) ICP-MS has emerged as a promising technique for sizing and quantifying small MNPs based on their elemental content, yet the performance of different ICP-MS instrument types remains insufficiently evaluated. In this work, the analytical performance of quadrupole (Q) and high-resolution (HR) spICP-MS was systematically compared for sizing and quantifying metal-doped polystyrene (PS) particles at both the micro- (2.5 μm) and nano-scale (198 nm) by monitoring carbon or metal content. For the analysis of NPs via metal-based detection, both instruments enabled the reliable determination of particle size, particle mass, and mass concentration. The HR system showed enhanced metal sensitivity and improved particle size resolution, while the Q system provided better recoveries of particle number concentration. For the analysis of MPs, spICP-HRMS provided superior sensitivity for metal-based detection, whereas spICP-QMS delivered better carbon-based detection performance and lower size detection limits due to its reduced carbon background. Both techniques underestimated particle mass and number concentrations, reflecting the influence of particle losses, especially pronounced in the HR system, and the need for accurate transport efficiency determination. The use of different data processing tools did not have a significant impact on spICP-MS results. These findings emphasize the importance of carefully selecting the type of ICP-MS instrument, detection approach (metal versus carbon), and calibration strategy for reliable quantification and size characterization of MNPs by spICP-MS.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.