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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12372453-B2
Application number	US-202318535389-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 11, 2023
Priority date	Jan 21, 2021
Publication date	Jul 29, 2025
Grant date	Jul 29, 2025

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 porous membrane;
entrapping on the porous membrane microparticles contained in the sample;
providing an increasing temperature profile to the porous 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 microparticle based on the temperature at which the entrapped microparticle changes phase.

5. A method for the detection and screening of plastic microparticles, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a porous membrane containing entrapped microparticles wherein the microparticles were entrapped through the delivery of a sample through the porous membrane;
providing an increasing temperature profile to the porous membrane;
observing a phase change of the entrapped microparticles; and
recording the temperature at which the entrapped microparticles change phase.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the observing is performed by a machine learning tool.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the recording is performed with a computer.

8. The method of claim 5 , further comprising the step of determining the type of entrapped microparticle based on the temperature at which the entrapped microparticle changes phase.

Assignees

• Univ Rochester

Inventors

• Knox Wayne H
• Madejski Gregory
• Mcgrath James Lionel

Classifications

• G01N15/075

  by optical means · CPC title

• B01D71/0215

  Silicon carbide; Silicon nitride; Silicon oxycarbide · CPC title

• B01D61/20

  Accessories; Auxiliary operations · CPC title

• G01N2015/0681

  Purposely modifying particles, e.g. humidifying for growing · CPC title

• B01D2311/103

  Heating · CPC title