We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Current opinion: What is a nanoplastic?
Summary
This opinion piece proposes a definition for nanoplastics — particles unintentionally produced from plastic degradation or manufacturing that exhibit colloidal behavior within the 1 to 1000 nm size range — aiming to resolve ongoing debate over terminology in the field.
With the large amount of attention being given to microplastics in the environment, several researchers have begun to consider the fragmentation of plastics down to lower scales (i.e., the sub-micrometer scale). The term "nanoplastics" is still under debate, and different studies have set the upper size limit at either 1000 nm or 100 nm. The aim of the present work is to propose a definition of nanoplastics, based on our recently published and unpublished research definition of nanoplastics. We define nanoplastics as particles unintentionally produced (i.e. from the degradation and the manufacturing of the plastic objects) and presenting a colloidal behavior, within the size range from 1 to 1000 nm.