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Pinhole Effect and Formation of Microplastics on PVC, PP and PET Surfaces Initiated by Plasma
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Researchers exposed PVC, PP, and PET plastic films to cold plasma and found it caused surface pitting and microplastic particle formation, suggesting that plasma-based industrial or sterilization processes may inadvertently generate microplastic pollution.
The aim of the study is to test the ability of PVC, PP, and PET polymer films to withstand the conditions present on a planar ceramic dielectric. The planar ceramic dielectric generates DCSBD plasma, which is also known as cold plasma. During its...
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Degradation of Plastics and Formation of Primary and Secondary Microplastics
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This review paper explains how everyday plastics like grocery bags, food containers, and water bottles break down into microplastics (tiny plastic pieces smaller than 5mm) through sunlight exposure, heat, weathering, and other natural processes. This matters because as plastic waste breaks down in the environment, it releases these microplastics, along with potentially toxic chemical byproducts, that can end up in our water, food, and air, raising concerns about long-term health effects that scientists are still working to fully understand.
Micropatterned microplastic generation via degradation of polymeric films with micropatterned structures
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Researchers fabricated water-insoluble micropatterned films from crosslinked PVA and poly(methacrylic acid) that, when degraded via oxidation or ultrasound, released microplastic particles retaining their original patterned shapes. This controlled method for generating shape-defined microplastics enables more systematic laboratory research into how particle geometry influences environmental behavior and biological uptake.
UV‑driven surface oxidation of PVC microplastics and their interaction with emerging pollutants
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UV light aging dramatically increased the ability of PVC microplastics to adsorb the antibiotic ofloxacin, with weathered plastic absorbing more than twice as much as pristine PVC due to new oxygen-containing surface groups. This means that UV-aged microplastics in the environment act as concentrated carriers for pharmaceutical pollutants, potentially transporting antibiotics into organisms that ingest them.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.