Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Mechanistic Roles of Microplastics in the Phototransformation of Silver Ions in Aquatic Environments

This study found that polystyrene microplastics mediate the transformation of silver ions into silver nanoparticles (Ag0, Ag2O, Ag2S) under natural and UV light irradiation, acting as reactive surfaces that alter silver speciation and potentially increase its bioavailability in aquatic systems.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of polystyrene microplastics in sunlight-mediated transformation of silver in aquatic environments: Mechanisms, kinetics and toxicity

Researchers investigated how UV-aged polystyrene microplastics mediate the transformation of silver in sunlit aquatic environments, finding that reactive oxygen species generated during MP photo-oxidation both reduced and re-oxidized silver, altering its speciation and toxicity to aquatic organisms.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Weathered Microplastics Induce Silver Nanoparticle Formation

Researchers found that weathered polystyrene microplastics can photochemically reduce dissolved silver ions to metallic silver nanoparticles in both freshwater and sand matrices under solar irradiation, revealing a previously unknown mechanism by which microplastics alter the chemical speciation of co-occurring metal contaminants.

2021 Environmental Science & Technology Letters 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Phototransformation and toxicity enhancement of AgCl NPs by polystyrene microplastics under irradiation

This study investigated how polystyrene microplastics affect the phototransformation of silver chloride nanoparticles under sunlight irradiation and whether the interaction enhances toxicity. Results showed that microplastics altered AgCl NP transformation and increased environmental risk under realistic aquatic surface conditions.

2024
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics sunlight-induce oxidative dissolution, chemical transformation and toxicity enhancement of silver nanoparticles

Researchers discovered that polystyrene microplastics can induce sunlight-driven oxidative dissolution and chemical transformation of silver nanoparticles, enhancing their toxicity and revealing important implications for how co-occurring pollutants interact in the environment.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanism of low concentrations of polystyrene microplastics influence the cytotoxicity of Ag ions to Escherichia coli

Low concentrations of polystyrene microplastics had minimal direct toxicity to E. coli but dynamically modulated the toxicity of silver ions, initially protecting bacteria by shielding cell membranes and later intensifying toxicity by promoting reactive oxygen species generation depending on the plastic's surface charge. The study highlights the complexity of predicting combined microplastic and metal toxicity in aquatic ecosystems.

2020 Chemosphere 47 citations
Article Tier 2

A preliminary study of the interactions between microplastics and citrate-coated silver nanoparticles in aquatic environments

Researchers investigated interactions between citrate-coated silver nanoparticles and three types of microplastics, finding that polystyrene efficiently removed silver nanoparticles from solution via π-π interactions, while polyethylene and polypropylene showed no significant interaction. The study provides first evidence that plastic type governs the co-transport of nanoparticles with microplastics in aquatic environments.

2019 Journal of Hazardous Materials 119 citations
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Emerging investigator series: metal nanoparticles in freshwater: transformation, bioavailability and effects on invertebrates

This review and meta-analysis found that silver nanoparticles are toxic to freshwater invertebrates at environmentally relevant concentrations, with toxicity mediated by both dissolved silver ions and nano-specific effects. Environmental transformation processes like aggregation, dissolution, and surface coating alteration significantly modify nanoparticle bioavailability and toxicity. These findings parallel microplastic research, where particle size, surface chemistry, and environmental weathering similarly determine biological impact.

2022 Environmental Science Nano 58 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics modulate the transformation of silver ions in the dark: Key role of environmentally persistent free radicals

Researchers discovered that polystyrene nanoplastics generate chemically reactive "free radicals" on their surfaces even in darkness, which then interact with silver ions commonly found in water to form silver nanoparticles. This transformation actually reduced silver's toxicity to zebrafish larvae, demonstrating that nanoplastics can chemically alter other pollutants in ways that change their environmental risk — even without sunlight.

2026 Water Research X
Article Tier 2

Quantifying the Dynamics of Polystyrene Microplastics\nUV-Aging Process

Researchers used single-particle ICP-MS to quantitatively track UV-aging of polystyrene microplastics, finding particles shrank from 5 to 1 µm while particle number concentration tripled, with pristine particles causing acute toxicity and aged particles inducing chronic reproductive inhibition in Daphnia magna.

2022 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Data acquired in laboratory experiments conducted to characterize Ag bioaccumulation kinetics in Daphnia magna after exposures to polystyrene microplastics and Ag nanoparticles

Researchers assessed how the presence of polystyrene microplastics affects the bioaccumulation of silver nanoparticles in the filter-feeding zooplankton Daphnia magna. The study provides laboratory data on silver uptake kinetics at environmentally relevant concentrations, contributing to understanding how microplastics may interact with other contaminants to alter their biological availability to aquatic organisms.

2026 USGS DOI Tool Production Environment
Article Tier 2

Impacts of microplastics on organotins’ photodegradation in aquatic environments

Researchers found that polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, and polymethyl methacrylate microplastics differentially affect the photodegradation of organotin compounds in aquatic environments, with microplastics both adsorbing organotins and altering their photolytic breakdown pathways depending on polymer type.

2020 Environmental Pollution 61 citations
Article Tier 2

Zinc oxide nanoparticles dissolution and toxicity enhancement by polystyrene microplastics under sunlight irradiation

Researchers found that polystyrene microplastics dramatically increased the sunlight-induced dissolution of zinc oxide nanoparticles, enhancing the release of toxic zinc ions and reactive oxygen species in aquatic environments.

2022 Chemosphere 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic removal from urban stormwater: Current treatments and research gaps

Researchers investigated the phototransformation of polystyrene microplastics under simulated solar radiation, finding surface oxidation and formation of carbonyl groups after UV exposure. Photo-aged particles showed increased release of dissolved organic carbon and greater toxicity to marine copepods.

2022 Journal of Environmental Management 57 citations
Article Tier 2

An environmental concentration of aged microplastics with adsorbed silver significantly affects aquatic organisms

Researchers studied how natural biofouling and aging in stream water changes the properties and toxicity of microplastic beads over four weeks. They found that aged microplastics absorbed significantly more silver than pristine ones and released it more intensely, especially in acidic conditions. The study suggests that as microplastics age in the environment, they become more effective at carrying and releasing pollutants, increasing their potential harm to aquatic organisms.

2020 Water Research 311 citations
Article Tier 2

Co-occurrence of polypropylene microplastics and silver sulfide nanoparticles with organic emerging contaminants in surface water: comprehensive assessment of photolysis considering climate change impacts

Researchers assessed how polypropylene microplastics and silver sulfide nanoparticles affect the photodegradation of organic contaminants in surface water under changing climate conditions. They found that the presence of these co-contaminants altered the photolysis rates of emerging pollutants, with effects varying depending on the specific chemical and environmental conditions. The study highlights the need to account for microplastic and nanoparticle interactions when modeling pollutant fate in natural waters.

2025 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights into the interaction of microplastic with silver nanoparticles in natural surface water

Researchers co-exposed three common microplastics — polypropylene, polyethylene, and polystyrene — with silver nanoparticles in natural freshwater and brackish water, finding that their interaction altered the environmental behavior and fate of both contaminants. The results suggest that combined pollution from microplastics and nanomaterials produces effects distinct from either pollutant alone.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Dark Reduction of Hg(II) by Dissolved Organic Matter Derived from Aging Microplastics: Mechanisms and Implications

Researchers discovered that dissolved organic matter released from photoaged microplastics can convert toxic mercury into a less reactive form through dark chemical reactions. The organic matter from aged polystyrene, PVC, and polylactic acid reduced over 30% of mercury within 10 minutes, outperforming natural river organic matter. The findings suggest that as microplastic pollution increases in waterways, it may significantly alter mercury cycling in aquatic environments.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of Cu2+ by UV aged polystyrene in aqueous solution

UV-aged polystyrene microplastics showed altered surface chemistry and enhanced adsorption of copper ions compared to virgin particles, with the degree of adsorption increasing with aging duration. The findings indicate that environmental weathering transforms microplastics into more potent heavy metal carriers, intensifying their role as pollutant vectors.

2022 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 73 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of photochlorination on the physicochemical transformation of polystyrene nanoplastics: Mechanism and environmental fate

Researchers studied how sunlight combined with chlorine in water treatment changes the properties of polystyrene nanoplastics. They found that solar irradiation significantly accelerated the chemical breakdown of the nanoplastics, including surface oxidation and the release of organic compounds. The study reveals that nanoplastics leaving wastewater treatment plants undergo rapid transformation in the environment, which could alter both their fate and toxicity.

2023 Water Research 22 citations