Using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring to advance plastic risk assessment research

The risk of plastic pollution in the environment is extensive, affecting various matrices and organisms, as well as processes and co-transport of other contaminants. To sufficiently address this complex, multi-dimensional challenge, the span of methods and instrumentation to plastic research must be equally diverse. Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) is an acoustic sensing piezoelectric instrument that can offer unique information relating to both the extent and mechanisms of interactions of plastics in the environment. But, thus far, QCM-D has been highly underutilized and misinterpreted to study environmental plastic fate. When considering the wider breadth of plastic studies, QCM-D plastic research will help to complement current life cycle assessments of plastic fate in environmental systems. In this review, the unique applications of QCM-D pertaining to environmentally relevant plastic research are examined. Through surveying forty-five peer-reviewed articles—which fall into four primary categories—both gathered knowledge and the shortcomings of current QCM-D research on plastics are highlighted. These shortcomings include a narrow range of tested plastics and environmental conditions, as well as neglecting the mechanical compliance of the particle-surface contact. Furthermore, recommendations for the expansion of QCM-D plastic research are provided, with foci including mechanisms of plastic attachment/detachment, targeted detection, and complementary theoretical modeling.