Electrochemical analysis of PET microplastics and detection of elements in PET bottles

Microplastics which are mainly found in water are derived from both disposable and reusable bottles and these bottles are produced by polyethylene terephthalate (PET) material. As a third biggest consumer product, PET analysis is one of the most important topics of environmental science. To perform PET analysis, iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) were successfully synthesized and used for the modification of electrodes in this work. The best current response which was supported by two distinct cathodic (-0.65 V and +0.10 V vs. Ag/AgCl) and two distinct anodic (-0.75 V and -0.60 V vs. Ag/AgCl) peaks was determined using platinum (Pt) electrode and IONP modified platinum (IONP/Pt) surface was applied for analysis of PET as well as real water samples. A wide detection range (0.03 mg mL- 1 - 0.30 mg mL- 1) and a low LOD (3.74 x 10-4 mg mL- 1) were calculated for PET. The surfaces of modified electrodes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) showing the average particle dimension as less than 100 nm and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) supporting the presence of iron element originating from IONPs. The elements found in PET bottles were also detected using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS).