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Artificial Neptune balls: Superadhesive biomimetic networks for broad-size microplastics capture and removal
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Scientists have created sponge-like balls and mesh nets made from natural materials (like the stuff in seaweed and shrimp shells) that mimic how ocean plants naturally trap debris. These biodegradable "cleaners" can capture microplastics of many different sizes, from tiny nanoparticles to visible fragments, which is something current water treatment methods struggle to do well. This matters because microplastics are increasingly found in our water, food, and even our bodies, so better cleanup tools could help reduce our overall exposure to these particles.
The cleanup of persistent microplastics (MPs) from aquifers requires the capture and removal of a broad range of MP sizes and shapes. Conventional methods such as filtration and centrifugation are inefficient in removing such a broad range of particle sizes. We designed a class of biomimetic cleaners inspired by natural systems—including “ Sargassum rafts” that trap MPs within their branched thalli and “Neptune balls” formed from seagrass. The cleaners are in the form of porous meshes and balls made of biopolymers such as alginate and chitosan. The biopolymers are reprocessed morphologically into soft dendritic colloids (SDCs). The SDCs are consolidated in a honeycomb-like internal network surrounded by a hierarchically fibrillar outer layer. This mesh architecture enables adsorption of nano- and microscale particles via van der Waals and electrostatic interactions while physically trapping millimeter-scale particles into the net openings. Similar cleaners from architected sustainable materials could serve as scalable systems for efficient removal of diverse MPs from aquatic environments.
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Biobased Composite Aerogels for Efficient Flow-Through Capture of Nanoplastics via Multimodal Interfacial Interactions
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Scientists created a new sponge-like filter made from natural materials that can remove nearly 100% of tiny plastic particles from water. These nanoplastics are so small they're invisible to the naked eye but pose potential health risks when they get into drinking water. The filter works efficiently with very little energy, offering a promising way to clean up water contaminated with plastic pollution.
Caught in the net: A quaternized wood fiber/chitin nanofibril hydrogel trap for polystyrene nanoplastics.
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Scientists created a sponge-like material made from wood and shellfish waste that can soak up huge amounts of nanoplastics, tiny plastic particles too small to see that have been showing up in our water, food, and even bloodstreams. Unlike many plastic-cleanup materials, this one is made entirely from natural, biodegradable ingredients, works well even in real-world water with other minerals present, and can be reused over 30 times before safely breaking down in soil. While this is still lab-stage research, it points toward a practical, eco-friendly way to filter nanoplastics out of water before they reach our bodies.
Capturing colloidal nano- and microplastics with plant-based nanocellulose networks
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Researchers developed a plant-based nanocellulose network that can capture even the smallest nanoplastic particles from water. The material works primarily through its moisture-absorbing properties, which are enhanced by the extremely high surface area of nanocellulose fibers. This technology could enable both better measurement of nanoplastic contamination in water and practical on-site collection of these hard-to-capture particles.
Green production of bioinspired reusable PP fluff for true-to-life microplastics removal from water
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Researchers developed a reusable 3D fibrous polypropylene filter inspired by natural seagrass balls (which are known to trap microplastics in the wild), using a solvent-free manufacturing process and testing it with "true-to-life" microplastics made from weathered pasta bags. The filter maintained high removal efficiency over 10 reuse cycles, offering an environmentally friendly and practical approach for removing microplastics from water.
In-situ self-assembled integrated capture-detection platform based on cuttlebone-derived organic matrix for sensitive SERS quantification of polystyrene nanoplastics
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Scientists have developed a new tool—made from cuttlefish bone, a natural and eco-friendly material—that can quickly trap and detect tiny plastic particles (nanoplastics) in water, including seawater. This matters because these microscopic plastics are so small they can carry other pollutants and potentially enter our food chain through seafood, yet they've been notoriously hard to find and measure; this cheaper, greener detection method could help researchers track plastic pollution more easily, which is a key step toward eventually understanding its risks to human health.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.