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Diatomic Zn‐Functionalized Carbon Sphere for Microplastics Remediation in Natural Seawater at Environmentally Relevant Concentration

Advanced Materials 2025 7 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count. Score: 53 ? 0–100 AI score estimating relevance to the microplastics field. Papers below 30 are filtered from public browse.

Shengbo Zhang, Zongyang Ya, Yanfen Wu, Yanfen Wu, Zongyang Ya, Yanfen Wu, Yanfen Wu, Penghui Li, Penghui Li, Penghui Li, Penghui Li, Jingfu Liu, Qikun Hu, Jingfu Liu, Penghui Li, Penghui Li, Qikun Hu, Yingying Xue, Zhiqiang Niu Jingfu Liu, Jingfu Liu, Shengbo Zhang, Yanfen Wu, Jingfu Liu, Jingfu Liu, Jingfu Liu, Jingfu Liu, Jingfu Liu, Yanfen Wu, Helai Huang, Jingfu Liu, Jingfu Liu, Zhiqiang Niu Jingfu Liu, Penghui Li, Penghui Li, Jingfu Liu, Jingfu Liu, Jingfu Liu, Yu‐Xiao Zhang, Jingfu Liu, Jingfu Liu, Jingfu Liu, Jingfu Liu, Jingfu Liu, Penghui Li, Jingfu Liu, Jingfu Liu, Zongyang Ya, Jingfu Liu, Zongyang Ya, Jingfu Liu, Jingfu Liu, Jingfu Liu, Jingfu Liu, Ting Tan, Jingfu Liu, Jingfu Liu, Jingfu Liu, Jingfu Liu, Jingfu Liu, Zhiqiang Niu

Summary

Researchers developed a zinc-functionalized carbon material that can capture and degrade polyester microplastics in natural seawater at environmentally realistic concentrations. The material works through a combination of surface interactions that trap the plastics and zinc-mediated chemical reactions that break them into biodegradable substances, achieving a 70% conversion rate in 15 weeks. The study demonstrates a promising approach for addressing microplastic pollution in real-world marine settings.

Study Type Environmental

Microplastics remediation in natural seawater is challenging due to their low environmental concentrations and chemical inertia under environmental conditions. Here, a novel approach is presented for the in situ capture and degradation of polyester microplastics using zinc-functionalized carbon material, for the first time at environmentally relevant concentrations in natural seawater. The capture of microplastics is driven by their multilevel non-covalent interactions with the high-surface-area carbon, while the degradation is realized by the nucleophile bridged to the dinuclear zinc sites. In natural seawater, polyester microplastics are quickly enriched onto the material and depolymerized into biodegradable substances with a conversion rate of 70% in 15 weeks. The robustness of the material is demonstrated across a wide range of dissolved organic matter and impurity concentrations, highlighting its potential applicability in diverse aquatic environments. This work offers a promising approach for addressing microplastic pollution in real-world settings.

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