ABSTRACT The presence of submicron- (1 µm – 100 nm) and nanoplastic (< 100 nm) particles within various sample matrices, ranging from marine environments to foods and beverages, has become a topic of increasing interest in recent years. Despite this interest, very few analytical techniques remain that allow for the detection of these small plastic particles in the low concentration ranges that they are anticipated to be present at. Research focused on optimizing surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) to enhance signal obtained in Raman spectroscopy has been shown to have great potential for the detection of plastic particles below conventional resolution limits. In this study, we produce SERS substrates composed of gold nanostars and assess their potential for submicron- and nanoplastic detection. The results show 33 nm polystyrene could be detected down to 1.25 µg/mL while 36 nm poly(ethylene terephthalate) was detected down to 5 µg/mL. These results confirm the promising potential of the gold nanostar-based SERS substrates for nanoplastic detection. Furthermore, combined with findings for 121 nm polypropylene and 126 nm polyethylene particles, they highlight potential differences in analytical performance that depend on the properties of the plastics being studied.

This dataset is to accompany the open access manuscript of the same title published at Environmental Science: Nano under the DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/D3EN00401E. The main findings of this study are outlined in that manuscript. This data is presented as a complimentary proof. Using this data for further work is possible with appropriate attribution (citation of the data repository and manuscript). It is recommended to download and look through the "Read Me" file associated with this dataset for additional details about the generation, organization, and interpretation of the data presented.