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Hydrolytic-Peroxidatic Cascade on Bifunctional Nanozymes for Specific Fluorescent Profiling of Aromatic Polyester Microplastics
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Scientists created a lab tool using engineered particles that can not only detect microplastics from certain plastics (like polyester bottles) in water, but also identify exactly which type they are, tested successfully in tap water, rivers, and seawater. This matters because knowing precisely which microplastics are in our water is a key step toward understanding and reducing our exposure to them.
Abstract Aromatic polyester microplastics are derived from a special type of engineering plastic. Therefore, effective management requires reliable qualitative discrimination and accurate quantitative detection, rather than simply measuring total microplastic concentrations. To address this challenge, we developed a cascading fluorescence sensing platform based on the sequential dual-enzyme mimicry of magnesium–iron layered double oxide (MgFe LDO) nanozymes. MgFe LDO first hydrolyzes aromatic polyesters into terephthalic acid (TPA), which is subsequently hydroxylated via its peroxidase-mimicking activity to generate the fluorescent product 2-hydroxyterephthalic acid. Differences in hydrolysis rate and TPA concentration arising from the structural variation among distinct aromatic polyesters are translated into quantifiable fluorescence signals, enabling the precise detection and specific discrimination of multiple polymers. The bifunctional nanozymes combining hydrolase-like and peroxidase-like activities exhibit reliable performance and adaptability in spiked real-world samples, including rainwater, river water, tap water, and seawater. This work provides a basis for constructing integrated laboratory-based screening platforms for aromatic polyester microplastics using rationally engineered nanozymes.
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Scientists have developed a new test kit that can detect tiny amounts of microplastics in natural water sources quickly and without complicated lab prep, using special light-sensing nanoparticles and AI to identify different plastic types. This matters because microplastics are increasingly found in our drinking water and food chain, and having a fast, sensitive detection tool could help researchers and water treatment facilities catch contamination early, an important step toward understanding and reducing our exposure to these particles.
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Scientists have created a reliable way to make lab-designed plastic particles (down to nanoscale) that mimic how real plastic breaks down and behaves in water over time, then tested them in bottled drinking water to see how well they could be detected and measured. This matters because having standardized "practice" microplastic particles helps researchers develop better tools to accurately detect and measure the tiny plastic bits we may be drinking and eating, an essential first step before scientists can properly study their health effects.
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