Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Phosphorescent Naphthalene-Doped Carbon Nitride Quantum Dots for Selective Detection of Polyamide Microplastics

Researchers created phosphorescent quantum dots that specifically bind to polyamide microplastics through hydrogen bonding and used them to develop a selective detection method. Because phosphorescence has a longer lifetime than fluorescence, the technique avoids interference from background fluorescence in environmental samples. The method achieved 91-108% recovery rates in pond water and mud samples, enabling detection of polyamide microplastics without complex pretreatment.

2025 Analytical Chemistry 7 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

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

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
Article Tier 2

Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Dots Derived from Onion Peel (Allium cepa) for Fluorescence-Based Detection of Microplastics

Researchers synthesized fluorescent nitrogen-doped carbon dots from onion peel and used them to detect high-density and low-density polyethylene microplastics, finding that the particles produced excitation-dependent fluorescence that enabled selective detection of both plastic types.

2025
Article Tier 2

Polydopamine-encapsulated carbon dots to boost analytical performance for microplastics detection in fluorescence mode

Sulfur-doped carbon dots encapsulated with polydopamine (S-CDs@PDA) were used to detect polyethylene microplastics via fluorescence, showing 21.3% higher fluorescence signal and 8% better detection efficiency than uncoated carbon dots on modified membrane substrates.

2025 Microchimica Acta 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles as a Universal High-Affinity Probe for the Selective Detection of Microplastics

Researchers developed conjugated polymer nanoparticles based on fluorescent diketopyrrolopyrrole prepared by nanoprecipitation as a novel high-affinity probe for selective microplastic detection via fluorescence spectroscopy, addressing the limitations of current detection methods in sensitivity and polymer specificity.

2022 ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 18 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

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

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

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

In Situ Fluorescent Illumination of Microplastics in Water Utilizing a Combination of Dye/Surfactant and Quenching Techniques

Researchers developed an in situ fluorescent microplastic detection method using a nonpolar dye combined with surfactant to form nanoscale dye particles that selectively adsorb onto and penetrate plastic polymer matrices in water, then quenched free dye fluorescence using aniline to enable direct visualization of stained microplastics without filtration.

2022 Polymers 19 citations
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

Selective Identification and Quantification of Microplastics Using Solid Fluorescent Green Carbon Dots (SFGCDs) – A Novel, Naked Eye Sensing Fluoroprobe

Researchers developed a novel fluorescent carbon dot probe that can selectively detect and quantify microplastics released from surgical face masks and cosmetic cleansers. The probe works through a fluorescence turn-off mechanism when microplastics are present, with a detection limit as low as 0.0063 g/L for particles 6 micrometers and larger. The study also demonstrated a simple filtration-based remediation approach, with the fluorescence signal recovering after microplastic removal.

2025 Journal of Fluorescence 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Fluorescent Tagging of Polymer Particles with PBN for the Detection of Microplastics in Personal Care Goods

Researchers used fluorescent labeling to detect microplastic particles in personal care products, a common but undermonitored source of plastic pollution. The method proved effective for identifying small polymer particles in consumer goods.

2021 Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Blue micro-/nanoplastics abundance in the environment: a double threat as a Trojan horse for a plastic-Cu-phthalocyanine pigment and an opportunity for nanoplastic detection via micro-Raman spectroscopy

Researchers exploited the resonance Raman signal of copper-phthalocyanine blue pigment in abundant environmental blue microplastics to enable micro-Raman spectroscopic detection of nanoplastics below conventional size limits, simultaneously identifying pigmented microplastics as a dual environmental threat and detection opportunity.

2025 Environmental Science Nano 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhanced long-term stability of stained microplastics with carbon nitride fluorescent polymer for tracking

Researchers created a fluorescent coating using a carbon nitride polymer that can be applied to microplastics of various types and shapes to make them visible for tracking in the environment. Unlike conventional dyes that fade quickly, this coating remained stable under UV light, extreme temperatures, and exposure to natural water for at least 60 days. The technology could make it much easier for scientists to trace where microplastics travel in rivers, lakes, and oceans.

2024 Environmental Technology & Innovation 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Optimization of sample preparation, fluorescence- and Raman techniques for environmental microplastics

Researchers optimized methods for preparing and analyzing environmental microplastic samples using fluorescence staining with Nile Red dye and Raman spectroscopy. The study found that while fluorescence can broadly categorize plastics as polar or non-polar, Raman spectroscopy with a deep-UV laser was needed to reliably identify all polymer types, including those pigmented with carbon black.

2024 Spectrochimica Acta Part A Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Nile Red lifetime reveals microplastic identity

Researchers developed a fluorescence lifetime imaging approach using the dye Nile Red that can distinguish microplastic particles from biological and mineral debris based on their distinct fluorescence lifetimes, offering faster and more specific microplastic identification than conventional methods.

2020 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 63 citations
Article Tier 2

The potential of fluorescent dyes—comparative study of Nile red and three derivatives for the detection of microplastics

Researchers compared Nile red and three newly developed fluorescent dye derivatives for staining microplastics, finding that the derivatives achieved greater selectivity for plastic particles and more intense fluorescence than standard Nile red, improving detection sensitivity.

2021 Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 106 citations
Article Tier 2

Dual-mode optical nanoprobe based on red-emissive carbon dots for sensitive detection of positively charged nanoplastics

Researchers developed a dual-mode optical nanoprobe based on red-emissive carbon dots to detect positively charged nanoplastics in food and environmental samples. The probe detected charged nanoplastics with high sensitivity and selectivity via both fluorescence and colorimetric signals, offering a practical rapid-detection approach for a particle type that is especially bioaccumulative.

2025 Food Chemistry
Article Tier 2

Fabrication and characterization of (fluorescent) model nanoplastics for polymer specific detection

Scientists developed fluorescently labeled model nanoplastics that mimic the properties of real plastic particles, enabling polymer-specific identification at very small scales. These standardized reference particles are a key research tool because nanoplastics are otherwise extremely difficult to detect and characterize in environmental samples.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Fluorogenic hyaluronan nanogels for detection of micro- and nanoplastics in water

Researchers developed fluorogenic hyaluronan nanogels that bind selectively to micro- and nanoplastic surfaces in water and become brightly emissive upon binding, enabling sensitive fluorescence-based detection of plastic particles in environmental water samples.

2021 Environmental Science Nano 27 citations