Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Recent Advances in the Synthesis, Characterization, and Application of Carbon Dots in the Field of Wastewater Treatment: A Comprehensive Review

This review covers carbon dots, a type of nanomaterial that can be used to detect and remove pollutants from wastewater, including heavy metals, dyes, and organic chemicals. Carbon dots can improve water filtration membranes and boost the effectiveness of biological treatment systems. While not directly about microplastics, these technologies could be adapted to help detect and filter microplastics from drinking water and wastewater.

2025 Water 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Advances and prospects of carbon dots for microplastic analysis

This review assessed the potential of carbon dots, luminescent nanomaterials derived from carbon sources, as tools for microplastic detection and analysis in food and environmental samples, offering advantages in sensitivity and selectivity over conventional methods. The authors identify carbon dot-based sensing as a promising direction for filling the gap in standardized microplastic analytical methods.

2022 Chemosphere 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Revolutionizing microplastic detection in water through quantum dot fluorescence

Researchers developed a novel approach using carbon quantum dots to stain microplastics, enabling fluorescence-based detection in water at low cost and with simple synthesis, demonstrating high sensitivity and selectivity without the toxicity concerns of conventional fluorescent dyes.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

The Future of Water Purification with Carbon and Graphene Quantum dots: a Comprehensive Review

This review examined traditional and advanced water purification technologies, with a focus on quantum dot-based systems incorporating carbon and graphene quantum dots for removing emerging contaminants including microplastics. The authors assessed the photocatalytic and adsorptive mechanisms that make quantum dots promising for next-generation water treatment.

2025 SHILAP Revista de lepidopterología
Article Tier 2

Environmental applications of carbon dots: Addressing microplastics, air and water pollution

This review examined how carbon dots, a class of nanomaterials, can be applied to environmental challenges including microplastic detection, air quality monitoring, and water purification. Researchers found that the unique optical and chemical properties of carbon dots make them particularly promising for sensing and removing pollutants. The study highlights the versatility of these materials as tools for addressing multiple forms of environmental contamination.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Electrochemical and Colorimetric Nanosensors for Detection of Heavy Metal Ions: A Review

This review covers nanosensor technologies being developed to detect heavy metal contamination in environmental and food samples, which is important because heavy metals are linked to cancer, neurological disorders, and developmental problems. While focused on metal detection rather than plastics directly, these affordable and portable sensor technologies could be adapted for detecting microplastic-associated contaminants in water and food.

2023 Sensors 74 citations
Article Tier 2

Synthesis and characterization of magnetic nanoparticles functionalized with carbon-based quantum dots (CQDs) for microplastic elimination

Researchers developed magnetic nanoparticles decorated with carbon quantum dots capable of removing microplastics from water using a magnet. This Spanish-language study demonstrates a promising approach to extracting small plastic particles from contaminated water that standard filtration systems miss.

2023 UCrea (University of Cantabria)
Article Tier 2

Unlocking the Potential of Carbon Quantum Dots for Cell Imaging, Intracellular Localization, and Gene Expression Control in Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh.

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research — it investigates how carbon quantum dots are transported and affect gene expression in Arabidopsis plants, with no connection to microplastic contamination.

2023 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Preparation of N, Cl Co-Doped Lignin Carbon Quantum Dots and Detection of Microplastics in Water

Researchers synthesized nitrogen and chlorine co-doped lignin carbon quantum dots and demonstrated their use as a fluorescence-based sensor for detecting microplastics in water, offering a promising rapid and cost-effective monitoring approach.

2023 Crystals 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Revolutionizing microplastic detection in water through quantum dot fluorescence

This study introduced carbon quantum dot-based fluorescence staining for microplastic detection in water, achieving sensitive and selective identification through microwave-assisted synthesis without complex pretreatment, offering a practical low-cost alternative to conventional detection methods.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Production of Carbon Quantum Dots Based on Oil Palm Fronds for Polyethylene and Polyethylene Terephthalate Microplastics Detection

Researchers synthesized carbon quantum dots from oil palm frond waste and tested their fluorescence properties for detecting polyethylene and PET microplastics. The bio-based quantum dots provided a cost-effective and environmentally friendly sensing approach for identifying common plastic polymers in environmental samples.

2025 International Journal of Technology 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Size- and Concentration-Resolved Detection of PET Microplastics in Real Water via Excitation–Emission Matrix Fluorescence Quenching of Polyamide-Derived Carbon Quantum Dots

Scientists developed a new method to detect tiny plastic particles (called microplastics) in drinking water using special fluorescent dots that dim when they encounter plastic pollution. The technique works best at finding very small plastic pieces—smaller than the width of a human hair—which are hardest to detect but potentially most dangerous since they can get into our bodies more easily. This could help monitor plastic contamination in tap water and other water sources we use daily, giving us better information about our exposure to these harmful particles.

2026 Sensors
Article Tier 2

Enhancing Safety in Aquaculture with Nanostructures: Hazard Detection and Elimination

This review examined emerging nanostructure-based technologies — including metal-organic frameworks, nanocomposites, and biosensors — for detecting and eliminating microplastics and other hazardous contaminants in aquaculture systems. The authors highlighted how these tools can improve food safety and fish health monitoring in aquaculture operations.

2025 Engineering
Article Tier 2

Metal–organic framework applications for microplastic remediation: exploring pathways and future potential

This review examines how metal-organic frameworks (specialized porous materials) can be used to capture and remove microplastics from water. Microplastics are emerging contaminants that threaten aquatic ecosystems and human health. The paper explores different remediation pathways and the future potential of these advanced materials for cleaning up microplastic pollution.

2025 Journal of Materials Chemistry A 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Revolutionizing microplastic detection in water through quantum dot fluorescence

Researchers developed a quantum dot fluorescence-based detection system for microplastics in water, achieving sensitive and rapid identification of multiple polymer types with lower detection limits and faster analysis times than conventional spectroscopic methods.

2025 Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A
Article Tier 2

Recent advances in the detection of microplastics in the aqueous environment by electrochemical sensors: A review

This review surveys recent advances in using electrochemical sensors to detect microplastics in water environments. Researchers evaluated sensors made from carbon materials, metals, biomass materials, and microfluidic chips, comparing their detection capabilities and practical advantages like low cost and high sensitivity. The study highlights electrochemical sensing as a promising approach for real-time, on-site monitoring of microplastic contamination in waterways.

2025 Marine Pollution Bulletin 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent Progress on Fluorescent Probes in Heavy Metal Determinations for Food Safety: A Review

This review covers recent advances in fluorescent probe technology for detecting toxic heavy metals in food to protect human health. While focused on heavy metals rather than microplastics directly, the detection methods are relevant because microplastics can absorb and transport heavy metals into food products. Better tools for finding heavy metal contamination in food could also help identify cases where microplastics are serving as carriers of these toxic substances.

2023 Molecules 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Detection and Quantification with Biosensing Techniques

This review examines emerging biosensor technologies for detecting and quantifying microplastics in food and environmental samples, comparing electrochemical, optical, and biological sensing approaches as faster and cheaper alternatives to conventional spectroscopy. Improved detection methods are critical for understanding true human exposure levels and setting meaningful safety thresholds for microplastics in drinking water and food.

2024 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent Progress in Micro- and Nanotechnology-Enabled Sensors for Biomedical and Environmental Challenges

This review covers advances in tiny sensors built with micro- and nanotechnology that can detect pollutants in air, water, soil, and food, as well as diagnose diseases. These sensor technologies are relevant to microplastic research because they could enable faster and more sensitive detection of plastic particles in environmental and biological samples.

2023 Sensors 165 citations
Article Tier 2

PARAFAC- and PCA-Resolved Excitation–Emission Matrix Fluorescence of Ultra-Fine Polyamide-Derived Carbon Quantum Dots for Mechanistic Microplastic Discrimination

This study developed a fluorescence sensing platform using ultra-fine polyamide-derived carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with PARAFAC and PCA chemometric analysis to rapidly and selectively discriminate microplastic polymer types. The mechanism-driven approach achieved polymer-specific resolution that single-wavelength CQD sensors cannot provide.

2026 Micro 1 citations