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Magnetic three-dimensional graphene-like framework carbon for efficient extraction of polystyrene nanoplastics from environmental water.
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Scientists created a magnetic sponge-like material that can grab over 99% of tiny plastic particles (nanoplastics) out of water in just 15 minutes, then be easily pulled out with a magnet for reuse. This matters because it offers a fast, effective way to detect and remove these invisible plastic pollutants from our drinking water sources, like lakes, rivers, and tap water, before they reach our glasses, helping researchers better track and address a pollutant increasingly linked to health concerns.
In this study, a three-dimensional graphene-like framework carbon (3DFC) was prepared via a high-temperature pyrolysis method, followed by the anchoring of FeO nanoparticles through Fe-O-C coordination bonds using a solvothermal process to obtain magnetic Fe-3DFC, which was applied for the efficient extraction of polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) from environmental water samples and subsequent quantitative determination by liquid chromatography coupled with a UV detector. The physicochemical properties of Fe-3DFC were systematically characterized using multiple analytical techniques. The effects of pH, adsorbent dosage, adsorption time, and PS-NPs concentration on adsorption performance were comprehensively investigated. Adsorption experiments indicated that equilibrium was reached within 15 min, with a removal efficiency exceeding 99.2%. Fitting results based on the Freundlich isotherm model (R = 0.9917) and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model (R = 0.9889) demonstrated that the adsorption process was predominantly governed by multilayer chemical adsorption on heterogeneous surfaces. After five adsorption-desorption cycles, the adsorption efficiency remained above 86.32%. In real water samples including lake water, Yellow River water, and tap water, the recoveries for spiked PS-NPs ranged from 87.4% to 105.6%. Mechanistic studies revealed that the synergistic interaction between electrostatic attraction and π-π stacking was the primary driving force for efficient adsorption. Overall, Fe-3DFC exhibits high adsorption capacity, rapid magnetic separation, and excellent reusability, providing a promising platform for the rapid enrichment and sensitive detection of trace nanoplastics in environmental water samples.
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