Closer look: The invisible threat
Invisible but ever-present in our environment, microplastics have emerged as a major threat to the health of our oceans. These tiny plastic particles are smaller than 5 millimetres in size, and are now found in virtually every corner of our planet – from the highest mountains to the deepest ocean trenches.
We are looking at a particle of boat hull paint through an optical microscope. It is possible to see things such as colour, shape and lustre, but that doesn’t tell us anything about the particle’s material properties. At the University of Gothenburg, the Marine Environmental Nanochemistry research team investigates microscopic fragments of plastic, paint and other synthetic materials. The team, which is led by Professor Martin Hassellöv, examines the same particles using several specialist microscopes. They use scanning electron microscopes (small image on the left) and X-ray spectroscopy (small image on the right), before combining the microscope images to get as much information as possible. This opens up brand new opportunities for determining their origin, and provides a chemical characterisation of the particle.
Do you want to find out more about the research behind the microscope images?
Text: Erika Hoff Photo: Karin Mattsson
A picture says more than a thousand words. Science Faculty Magazine takes a closer look at a scientific phenomenon.
