Device, system and method for the detection and screening of plastic microparticles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11867602-B2
Application number	US-202217579515-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 19, 2022
Priority date	Jan 21, 2021
Publication date	Jan 9, 2024
Grant date	Jan 9, 2024

Abstract

A device, system and method for the detection and screening of plastic microparticles in a sample is disclosed. A nanoporous silicon nitride membrane is used to entrap plastic microparticles contained in the sample. The sample may be a water sample, an air sample, or other liquid or gas sample. The entrapped plastic microparticles are then heated or otherwise processed on the nanoporous silicon nitride membrane. An imaging system observes the nanoporous silicon nitride membrane with the entrapped plastic microparticles to determine the type and quantity of the various plastic microparticles that are entrapped on the membrane.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for the detection and screening of plastic microparticles, the method comprising the steps of:
delivering a sample through a nanoporous silicon nitride membrane;
entrapping on the nanoporous silicon nitride membrane microparticles contained in the sample;
providing an increasing temperature profile to the silicon nitride membrane;
observing a phase change of the entrapped microparticles; and
recording the temperature at which the entrapped microparticles change phase.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the observing is performed by a machine learning tool.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the recording is performed with a computer.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of determining the type of entrapped plastic microparticle based on the temperature at which the entrapped plastic microparticle changes phase.

Assignees

• Univ Rochester

Inventors

• Knox Wayne H
• Madejski Gregory
• Mcgrath James Lionel

Classifications

• B01D2311/103

  Heating · CPC title

• B01D71/0215

  Silicon carbide; Silicon nitride; Silicon oxycarbide · CPC title

• G01N15/0612 Primary

  Optical scan of the deposits (G01N15/0625 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B01D61/20

  Accessories; Auxiliary operations · CPC title

• B01D71/02

  Inorganic material · CPC title