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Mucin-Inspired Thermogels for Programmable Nanoplastic Removal in Water Purification
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Researchers developed mucin-inspired amphiphilic bottlebrush copolymers that form thermally responsive hydrogels capable of capturing nanoplastics from water, achieving removal efficiencies of 68–100% for polystyrene nanoparticles (20–1,000 nm), with a reversible gel-syneresis cycle enabling both passive filtration and particle recovery for trace analysis.
Plastic pollution represents a threat to global ecosystems, as fragmentation generates nanoplastics (NPs) that pose ecotoxicological risks. Their nanoscale size and low concentrations make detection and removal from water challenging. Inspired by jellyfish mucus, we develop amphiphilic bottlebrush copolymers based on oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate (OEGA). These polymers self-assemble into micelles and exhibit a reversible, temperature-induced sol-gel-syneresis transition, capturing NP from solution in situ. Heating triggers hydrogel collapse via terminal OEGA-methoxy groups, enriching hydrophobic NPs within the matrix. Using fluorophore-labeled polystyrene NPs (20-1 000 nm), we achieve removal efficiencies of 68-100%; activated carbon further improves performance. Pre-collapsed hydrogels enable passive filtration, capturing >70% within 24 h. Cooling dissolves the matrix and releases captured NPs, achieving recovery efficiencies of up to 61% after ultracentrifugation for trace analysis. Ionic groups enable selective dye capture, underscoring the system’s versatility as a modular, programmable platform for next-generation water purification technologies.
More Papers Like This
Mucin-Inspired Thermogels for Programmable Nanoplastic Removal in Water Purification
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers developed mucin-inspired amphiphilic bottlebrush copolymers that form thermally responsive hydrogels capable of capturing nanoplastics from water, achieving removal efficiencies of 68–100% for polystyrene nanoparticles (20–1,000 nm), with a reversible gel-syneresis cycle enabling both passive filtration and particle recovery for trace analysis.
Mucin-Inspired Thermogels for Programmable Nanoplastic Removal in Water Purification
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers developed mucin-inspired amphiphilic bottlebrush copolymers that self-assemble into micelles and undergo reversible temperature-triggered sol-gel-syneresis transitions to capture nanoplastics from water, achieving removal efficiencies of 68-100% for polystyrene nanoplastics (20-1000 nm) and recovery efficiencies up to 61% for downstream analysis.
Mucin-Inspired Thermogels for Programmable Nanoplastic Removal in Water Purification
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers developed mucin-inspired amphiphilic bottlebrush copolymers that self-assemble into thermogels in water and reversibly capture nanoplastics, demonstrating a programmable, jellyfish-inspired filtration approach for removing nanoscale plastic particles from aquatic environments.
Thermoresponsive Mucin-Inspired Polymers as a Sustainable Water Treatment Technology
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers developed amphiphilic bottlebrush copolymers based on oligo(ethylene glycol) acrylate that self-assemble into micelles and undergo reversible temperature-triggered sol-gel-syneresis transitions, enabling efficient capture and concentration of nanoplastics from aqueous systems as a sustainable water treatment strategy.
Functional Polymeric Materials for Micro- and Nanoplastic Removal from Waters
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Researchers reviewed functional polymeric materials — including hydrogels, polysaccharide aerogels, magnetic composites, and MOF-polymer systems — designed to remove micro- and nanoplastics from water, cataloguing how electrostatic, hydrophobic, and π–π stacking interactions drive removal and identifying scalability, fouling resistance, and standardization as the main barriers to real-world application.
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