Microplastics have emerged as one of the most widely discussed environmental contaminants of our time. Regardless of where we live, daily exposure to microplastics has become virtually unavoidable—these tiny plastic particles are present in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the environments we inhabit. As researchers work to better understand the sources, transport pathways, and impacts of microplastics, the demand for reliable microplastic analysis methods continues to grow.While techniques such as FTIR and Raman spectroscopy have become standard tools for identifying microplastics, their utility is limited for smaller particles (i.e. nanoplastics) and in complex matrices. More advanced microplastic analysis methods can provide a deeper understanding of what these particles contain and how they may change over time in the environment.<div><h3>The Limits of Spectroscopic Microplastic Analysis Methods</h3>Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy are widely used microplastic analysis methods because they can identify polymer types by measuring how electromagnetic radiation interacts with a material. These techniques are valuable for determining whether a particle is polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, or another common plastic. For many studies, this information is sufficient to confirm the presence of microplastics, especially in clean samples with sufficient microplastic density.However, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.leco.com/application/environmental/">environmental samples</a> are rarely clean and compositionally simple. Microplastic particles can become weathered and obscured by other materials in the environment, making their accurate identification with spectroscopy difficult. Additionally, if researchers want to understand what additives, degradation products, or pollutants are associated with the plastic, particle identification alone is not enough. Thus, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy methods alone struggle to thoroughly characterize these complex chemical components, particularly in challenging environmental matrices. As questions surrounding microplastic exposure become increasingly important, researchers require analytical techniques capable of examining the chemistry of a sample in greater detail, not simply confirming the presence of the physical particle itself.</div><div><h3>Thermal Desorption and Pyrolysis GCxGC-TOFMS For Deeper Microplastic Analysis</h3>Thermal Desorption (TD) and Pyrolysis (Py) coupled with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.leco.com/core-analysis/gc-and-gc-ms/">GCxGC-TOFMS</a>) offer a powerful alternative for investigating nano- and microplastics in complex samples. These techniques provide complementary information about sample composition.&nbsp;Thermal desorption releases volatile and adsorbed compounds, including environmental contaminants, degradation products, and VOCs associated with microplastic particles. This can reveal important information about chemicals present within or on the plastic.Pyrolysis thermally deconstructs the polymeric material, breaking it into GC-amenable characteristic degradation compounds. These compounds act as chemical markers that can be used to identify the various polymers present. When analyzing complex or heavily weathered microplastics that may be difficult to characterize using traditional spectroscopic techniques, pyrolysis is particularly advantageous.The most significant benefit comes from pairing these techniques with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography. Environmental samples often contain hundreds or even thousands of compounds that coelute in 1D GC-MS, making it difficult or impossible to identify each compound. GCxGC provides significantly greater separation capability, helping analysts distinguish important polymer markers from background matrix components. This enhanced separation improves the mass spectrometer’s ability to identify characteristic polymer pyrolysis products, even in highly complex environmental samples. As a result, researchers can detect and identify challenging microplastics without the extensive purification steps often required by other analytical workflows.Another unique advantage of this approach is that thermal desorption and pyrolysis can be used in series on the same sample. Together, they create a more complete chemical profile of the sample.</div><div><h3>A Powerful Microplastics Analysis Workflow for Deeper Insight into the Effects on Our Environment</h3>FTIR and Raman spectroscopy remain valuable tools for rapid screening and flagging samples containing microplastic particles. However, by combining thermal desorption, pyrolysis, and GCxGC-TOFMS, analysts can obtain a much more comprehensive view of plastics in their samples and their environmental implications. As environmental research continues to advance and concerns surrounding microplastic contamination grow, researchers will increasingly require information that extends beyond answering the question,&nbsp;“What plastic is present?”&nbsp;&nbsp;Ultimately, this deeper level of characterization can provide new insights into the environmental fate of microplastics and help scientists better understand their potential impacts on ecosystems and human exposure.</div>

Surpassing the Limits of Traditional Microplastic Analysis Methods with Thermal Desorption and Pyrolysis GCxGC-TOFMS

News from LabRulezGCMS Library - Week 39, 2026

Researchers from CATRIN at Palacký University, together with colleagues from VSB – Technical University of Ostrava and Charles University, have developed a new graphene ink for producing inexpensive and sensitive printed sensors. Using single-atom engineering, they incorporated copper atoms into the material, enabling highly sensitive detection of dopamine – a neurotransmitter responsible for transmitting signals between nerve cells. The approach, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/advs.76796">presented in the journal Advanced Science</a>, has strong potential for use in medical diagnostics.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/CATRIN_Atom_po_atomu_Vedci_ukazali_novy_smer_v_lekarske_diagnostice_8a02ad6a66.webp" alt="CATRIN: Atom by atom. Scientists reveal a new direction in medical diagnostics" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_CATRIN_Atom_po_atomu_Vedci_ukazali_novy_smer_v_lekarske_diagnostice_8a02ad6a66.webp 117w," sizes="100vw" width="1920" height="2560">Single-atom engineering makes it possible to control the chemical reactivity of materials at the level of individual atoms. Its broader application in medical diagnostics has so far been limited by a lack of atomically engineered materials and printable inks based on them. Researchers have now developed a new class of single-atom-doped graphene materials as well as an ink for producing sensitive printed sensors. Copper proved particularly effective for dopamine detection, which is important for biomedical research and the development of advanced diagnostic technologies for diseases including Alzheimer’s disease.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/CATRIN_Atom_po_atomu_Vedci_ukazali_novy_smer_v_lekarske_diagnostice_2_97e419f039.webp" alt="CATRIN: Atom by atom. Scientists reveal a new direction in medical diagnostics" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_CATRIN_Atom_po_atomu_Vedci_ukazali_novy_smer_v_lekarske_diagnostice_2_97e419f039.webp 117w," sizes="100vw" width="1920" height="2560">“The NGA-Cu ink we developed enables the production of fully inkjet-printed, sustainable paper-based electrodes at very low cost. Each sensor requires only 1.3 micrograms of active ink, costs approximately one Czech koruna and provided a stable response for at least three months. The ink is also fully compatible with commonly available materials inkjet printers. This creates significant potential for producing affordable, digitally designed sensors whose function can be tailored atom by atom,” said&nbsp;the corresponding author of the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/advs.76796">paper</a> Michal Otyepka.The basis for this new generation of single-atom inks was nitrogen-doped graphene acid (NGA), which CATRIN researchers developed several years ago. They have now progressively enriched it with different individual metal atoms, including copper, iron and manganese.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/CATRIN_Atom_po_atomu_Vedci_ukazali_novy_smer_v_lekarske_diagnostice_3_c15d831792.webp" alt="CATRIN: Atom by atom. Scientists reveal a new direction in medical diagnostics" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_CATRIN_Atom_po_atomu_Vedci_ukazali_novy_smer_v_lekarske_diagnostice_3_c15d831792.webp 117w," sizes="100vw" width="1920" height="2560">“We found that the electrochemical response depends fundamentally on the type of atom used. While copper atoms significantly enhance the dopamine signal, other metals suppress it. What matters, therefore, is not only the presence of isolated metal atoms but also the specific metal involved. This is a very important finding for the further development of biosensors,” explained first author Martin-Alex Nalepa.The published results introduce a new class of sensing materials with considerable potential for medical diagnostics. The researchers present a broadly applicable platform for developing graphene inks containing individual metal atoms and open the way towards scalable, reproducible and material-efficient production of advanced electrochemical sensors.&nbsp;“We are only at the beginning and are fascinated by the new possibilities opening up before us. We can see that by changing the type of atom, we can control the sensitivity and selectivity of the sensor. In addition to dopamine, we can also determine immunoglobulins very precisely – antibodies whose levels and types may serve as important indicators of autoimmune or infectious diseases,” emphasised Radek Zbořil, a co-author of the paper.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/CATRIN_Atom_po_atomu_Vedci_ukazali_novy_smer_v_lekarske_diagnostice_4_273cd760a5.webp" alt="CATRIN: Atom by atom. Scientists reveal a new direction in medical diagnostics" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_CATRIN_Atom_po_atomu_Vedci_ukazali_novy_smer_v_lekarske_diagnostice_4_273cd760a5.webp 117w," sizes="100vw" width="1920" height="2560">Electrochemical biosensors can find applications not only in medicine but also in food quality control, drinking-water monitoring and environmental pollution monitoring. Their key components are functionalised electrodes, and graphene-based materials have proved particularly suitable for their production. A key factor in the success of the Olomouc researchers was the targeted preparation of graphene ink with the required properties.The research was supported by the TECHSCALE project under the Johannes Amos Comenius Programme.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/CATRIN_Atom_po_atomu_Vedci_ukazali_novy_smer_v_lekarske_diagnostice_5_b1778f77f2.jpg" alt="CATRIN: Atom by atom. Scientists reveal a new direction in medical diagnostics: Project TECHSCALE (No. CZ.02.01.01/00/22_008/0004587) is financed by the MEYS OP JAC Excellent research programme, supported by ERDF/ESF." srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_CATRIN_Atom_po_atomu_Vedci_ukazali_novy_smer_v_lekarske_diagnostice_5_b1778f77f2.jpg 245w," sizes="100vw" width="620" height="87"><blockquote><h4>Article</h4><h4><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/advs.76796">Single-Atom-Enhanced Fully Inkjet-Printed Electrochemical Sensor for Dopamine Detection</a></h4>Martin-Alex Nalepa, David Panáček, Vítězslav Hrubý, Matěj Jendřišák, Rostislav Langer, Michal Langer, Petr Jakubec, Ivan Dědek, Vojtěch Kupka, Michal Mazur, Radek Zbořil, Michal OtyepkaAdv. Sci., 2026, e76796<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.76796">https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.76796</a><h6>licenced under <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC-BY 4.0</a></h6></blockquote><h4>Abstract</h4>Single-atom (SA) engineering offers atomic-level control over interfacial reactivity, yet the lack of printable SA-based inks hinders its practical translation into electrochemical sensing. Here, a fully water-based inkjet-printable ink is introduced based on nitrogen-doped graphene acid (NGA) hosting atomically dispersed Cu centers (NGA-Cu-ink). The ink enables digitally controlled, spatially defined deposition and fabrication of low-cost ($0.04 per sensor), fully inkjet-printed sustainable electrodes on paper. A comparison of NGA functionalized with different SA dopants (Cu, Mn, Fe, Ce) identifies a strong dopant-dependent electrochemical response, with Cu uniquely enhancing the analyte signal while other dopants suppress it, demonstrating that SA identity is a decisive design parameter in printed sensing interfaces profiling sensitivity and selectivity. The functional role of the NGA support is to provide dense anchoring sites (nitrogen and carboxylate groups) that stabilize atomically dispersed metal centers and create adsorption- and electron-transfer–active microenvironments. The NGA-Cu-ink yields enhanced dopamine oxidation, enabling quantitative detection on fully printed devices (limit of detection 9.7 µM; linear range 50–400 µM) and printed-on-electrode platforms (10.6 µM), while maintaining &lt;10% signal variation over 11 weeks. The approach establishes a general route to single-atom graphene-based inks for scalable, reproducible, and low-material-consumption manufacturing of advanced electrochemical sensors.

Atom by atom. Scientists reveal a new direction in medical diagnostics

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Environment

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Poster

The Czech Advanced Technology and Research Institute (CATRIN) at Palacký University is a cutting-edge scientific hub dedicated to advancing research in the fields of nanotechnology, biotechnology, and biomedicine. At its core, CATRIN boasts outstanding scientific teams, featuring international researchers. We emphasize interdisciplinarity, foster global collaborations, and work to translate our research findings into practical applications.

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LabRulez

In 1936, the Laboratory Equipment Company introduced the first rapid carbon determinator for the American iron and steel industry.  Today, almost 80 years later, LECO is recognized globally as a leader in the development of high-quality analytical instrumentation, mass spectrometers, comprehensive two-dimensional chromatography, metallography & optical equipment as well as consumables.

LECO

Separation Science

Agilent Technologies

SepSolve Analytical

Thermo Fisher Scientific

Injecting water into your GC may be convenient especially if you are working with compounds that have limited solubility in organic solvents or are working with water samples. But, there are many potential problems with water including injector and detector issues. Join us as we dive deep and explore water injections. We will discuss not only how to do them correctly, but also the many pointers to keep in mind when working with water.
<blockquote>
Presenter: Mark Sinnott (Application Engineer, Agilent Technologies, Inc.)
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Mark Sinnott works for Agilent Technologies as a Technical Support Engineer in the Consumables and Supplies Division (CSD) at the capillary column manufacturing facility (the “J&amp;W Scientific” location). In his position at Agilent, Mark performs technical support and applications assistance to gas chromatographers worldwide. He has more than 22 years of experience in gas chromatography, including environmental analysis of compounds in air, soil and water matrices, including dissolved gas analysis for the electrical industry. Mark holds a Master’s Degree in Chemistry from California State University, Sacramento, and currently resides in Sacramento.
</blockquote>

Pixabay/kalhh: Water Injections in GC: An Expanding Problem

Water Injections in GC: An Expanding Problem

Přednáška prof. Olivera Fiehna v rámci ASMS 2019 na téma použití online metabolomických databází, možnosti LECO Pegasus vs. BT nebo nástrojů jako BinBase, BinView, MassBank.us a MS-FINDER.
<blockquote>
Presenter: Oliver Fiehn (Director West Coast Metabolomics Center, Davis, California)
</blockquote>

LECO/Oliver Fiehn: Using Open Access Online Metabolomic Databases with LECO GC-TOF MS instruments

Using Open Access Online Metabolomic Databases with LECO GC-TOF MS instruments

Presenter: Todd Richards (LECO Corporation, St. Joseph, MI)
Presenter: Joe Binkley (LECO Corporation, St. Joseph, MI)
Presenter: David Alsonso (LECO Corporation, St. Joseph, MI)

LECO: What is Identification? Comprehensive Characterization of Exposome Samples via GCxGC High Resolution TOFMS

What is Identification? Comprehensive Characterization of Exposome Samples via GCxGC High Resolution TOFMS

Presenter: Christina N. Kelly (LECO Corporation)
Presenter: Robert K. Nelson (LECO Corporation)
Presenter: Joseph E. Binkley (LECO Corporation)

LECO: Case Studies in Oil Spill Forensics: Finding Petroleum Biomarkers with GCxGC-TOFMS

Case Studies in Oil Spill Forensics: Finding Petroleum Biomarkers with GCxGC-TOFMS

<h3>What Does it Cover?</h3>
Gas Chromatography is a technique widely used for analysis of matrices such as foods, water and biological samples. In order to get the optimum results from your analysis, it is important to ensure that method development and troubleshooting are addressed concisely.
This webinar will focus on tips and tricks for getting the best possible results from your GC instrument.
What You Will Learn:
<ul>
<li>Method development in GC</li>
<li>Common problems encountered with GC analysis and suggested tips to resolve these problems</li>
<li>Optimize your running costs whilst maintaining efficiency and output.</li>
</ul>
Who Should Attend
All GC users using or developing Capillary Gas Chromatography methods.
<blockquote>
Presenter: Ruth Jones (Product Manager, Thermo Fisher Scientific)
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Ruth Jones is Product Manager for GC columns, consumables &amp; reagents at Thermo Fisher Scientific. She has been with the organisation for 9 years in various Product Management and Marketing roles. She holds a Master of Physics degree from the University of Leeds, UK and is a chartered member of both the Institute of Physics and the Institute of Marketing.
</blockquote>

Thermo Fisher Scientific: Tips and Tricks – Getting the Best out of your GC System

Tips and Tricks – Getting the Best out of your GC System

<blockquote>
Presenter: Angie Smith-Henry, PhD (Applications Chemist for GC and MS Supplies, Agilent Technologies, Inc.)
</blockquote>

Agilent Technologies: Single Quad, Tandem Quad and QTOF Mass Spectrometers: What is Used and When?

Single Quad, Tandem Quad and QTOF Mass Spectrometers: What is Used and When?

Monitoring the 981 miles of the Ohio River helps to protect the designated uses of this waterbody and is a core directive of the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO). ORSANCO&#39;s Organics Detection System is a networked array that relies on the cooperative efforts and partnerships with fixed facility stations, comprising public and private drinking water utilities and commercial industry.
<h5>This webcast will discuss the challenges of monitoring volatile organic compounds (VOCs) over such a large area, and the workflows developed to address this challenge. In particular:</h5>
<ul>
<li>Methods used to confirm presence and verify absence of VOCs from source water</li>
<li>How we use calibrated GC-MS systems for detection of 30 compounds, and potential identification of thousands of volatiles</li>
<li>Use of purge and trap technology for pre-treatment and GC or GC–MS for separation and near real-time monitoring with either autosamplers or a flow-through sample delivery matrix on a process GC instrument</li>
<li>Addition of closed network Internet access allowing for remote access into instruments for troubleshooting, diagnosing repair, maintenance issues, and ability to view real time occurrences at ALL monitoring sites.</li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
Presenter: Lila Ziolkowski (MPH Quality Assurance Officer and Analytical and Environmental Chemist Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission)
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Has served with ORANSCO for over 16 years. Oversees operations of ODS, spill notification and emergency response. Prior, she was interim Quality Supervisor for Hill Canyon Treatment plant in Thousand Oaks, CA, and Portsmouth Water Treatment plant in Suffolk, VA. Also worked in commercial contract and clinical laboratories. Lila has a Masters in Public Health in Epidemiology from Emory University and a Bachelor&#39;s degree in Microbiology and Immunology from University of California, Berkeley.
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Presenter: Wei Liu, Ph.D, MBA (Sr. Marketing Development Manager Thermo Fisher Scientific)
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Sr. Market Development Manager at Thermo Fisher Scientific, with focus on trace elemental analysis applications in environmental and industrial markets. Earlier, Wei worked as a scientist in field of industrial enzymes and drug discovery and has held a variety of roles, including regional marketing manager, product manager and market research manager. Wei earned an MBA from Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Illinois, Chicago. He has 14 international scientific publications and holds 4 patents.
</blockquote>

Pixabay/Mike Goad: Monitoring Volatile Organic Compounds Using GC and GC-MS

Monitoring Volatile Organic Compounds Using GC and GC-MS

<blockquote>
Presenter: Alex Ucci (Application Engineer, Agilent Technologies, Inc.)
</blockquote>

Agilent Technologies: Finding the Perfect Match:  Practical Advice on GC Column Selection

Finding the Perfect Match: Practical Advice on GC Column Selection 

<h3>In this webinar you will:</h3>
<ul>
<li>See our simple workflows for GC and GCxGC processing on a range of file formats</li>
<li>Hear about our hardware support for streamlined instrument control and data processing </li>
<li>Find out how our network licensing can unify lab processing </li>
<li>Discover the latest features of the soon-to-be-released v1.5</li>
</ul>

SepSolve: The latest innovations in GCxGC software: What can ChromSpace do for you?

The latest innovations in GCxGC software: What can ChromSpace do for you?

In this webinar you will:
<ul>
<li>Learn about the Centri platform for fully-automated, multi-mode sample preparation </li>
<li>Understand how trapping technology can extend the performance of traditional sampling techniques such as SPME, headspace and sorptive extraction</li>
<li>See how GC×GC can reveal hidden information for complex samples </li>
<li>Hear about the use of parallel detection to gain additional layers of information in aroma profiling</li>
</ul>

SepSolve Analytical: Automated aroma profiling of alcoholic beverages by sorptive extraction and GC×GC-FID/TOF MS/SCD

Automated aroma profiling of alcoholic beverages by sorptive extraction and GC×GC-FID/TOF MS/SCD

Learn about the Centri platform for fully-automated, multi-mode sample preparation.