Beyond electrocoagulation: revisiting electrically driven particle manipulation mechanisms, technologies, and future directions for microplastic capture

• Emerging electrically driven particle manipulation for direct microplastics and nanoplastics capture are reviewed. • Present electrophoresis, dielectrophoresis, electroosmosis and electrohydrodynamic strategies under particle-force mechanisms and fluid-force mechanisms frameworks • Comparison of device architectures, performance metrics, and operational constraints • Hybrid EDPMS may further improve device performance and applicability but still underexplored The rapid accumulation of microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) in aquatic and terrestrial environments represents an urgent and escalating threat to ecosystem integrity and human health, necessitating remediation technologies that are both selective and energy efficient. Currently, electrocoagulation has dominated the electrically driven approaches for MNPs capture. However, its reliance on sacrificial electrodes and chemically generated flocs fundamentally limits its scalability, selectivity, and long-term sustainability. These limitations have motivated the exploration of alternative electrically driven strategies that enable more effective, energy-efficient, and economically viable capture of MNPs. This review revisits the mechanisms and examines emerging electrically driven particle manipulation systems (EDPMS) that move beyond electrocoagulation for microplastics and nanoplastics capture. This covers electrophoresis, dielectrophoresis, electroosmosis flow, and electrohydrodynamic transport mechanisms. We described the mechanistic framework encompassing particle-force mechanisms (electrophoresis and dielectrophoresis) and fluid-force mechanisms (electroosmosis and electrohydrodynamic transport), including the influence of non-ideal electrokinetic phenomena such as electrical double layer effects, surface conduction, Brownian motion, and ion concentration polarization. The review further unveils and compares device architectures, operational regimes, and performance characteristics across microfluidic, porous filtration, electrokinetic, electrostatic precipitation, and hybrid multiphysics systems and their limitations. By synthesizing fragmented developments across EDPMS, this work establishes a mechanistic and technological framework for electrically driven microplastic capture. The review concludes by outlining key challenges in real-water operations, energy metrics, and scale-up strategies, and presents future research directions toward a more practical and field-ready electrically driven water treatment systems.