Fabrication of engineered microplastics in an epoxy-based polymer (SU-8) by means of penetrating protons

Abstract Engineered microplastics are vital mimics of natural microplastics for application in many research areas aimed at solving environmental pollution. Here, we demonstrate the fabrication of engineered microplastics using 1 MeV protons with a full penetration depth to effectively detach engineered microplastics from a substrate. The microplastic patterns in this work were made in an epoxy-based polymer (SU-8) spin-coated on a silicon (Si) substrate by employing a proton beam writing technique at the Shibaura Institute of Technology. It was found that the SU-8 microplastic was efficiently detached from the Si substrate. This fabrication approach also enables the SU-8 microplastic to be stored on the Si substrate before use.