Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Molecularly Engineered Covalent Organic Frameworks for Hydrogen Peroxide Photosynthesis

Researchers developed a covalent organic framework photocatalyst for producing hydrogen peroxide from water and air using solar energy, achieving a solar-to-chemical conversion efficiency of up to 1.08%. The resulting hydrogen peroxide solution was capable of degrading pollutants. While not directly about microplastics, this research presents a potentially useful technology for environmental remediation including pollutant degradation in water systems.

2022 Angewandte Chemie International Edition 614 citations
Article Tier 2

Development of hybrid systems, based on organic matrix – supported metal nanoparticles@Metal-Organic Frameworks, for Photocatalysis and Polystyrene sensing.

This thesis develops hybrid catalysts combining metal nanoparticles with metal-organic frameworks for photocatalysis, and includes work on detecting polystyrene microplastics using these materials. The research demonstrates that specially designed hybrid materials can serve as environmental sensing tools, including for identifying plastic pollution.

Padua Research Archive (University of Padova)
Article Tier 2

Metal–Organic Framework based on Functional Materials for Photocatalytic Degradation of Micro‐ and Nano‐Plastic

Researchers reviewed how metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) — highly porous crystalline materials with extremely large surface areas — can be used as light-activated catalysts to break down microplastics and nanoplastics in water, potentially converting these persistent pollutants into less harmful chemicals while generating clean energy as a byproduct.

2025
Article Tier 2

Role of the Controlled Periodic Illumination (CPI) for Enhancing the Photonic Efficiency of a Photocatalytic System

Not relevant to microplastics — this is a photochemistry study investigating how periodically pulsed (rather than continuous) light irradiation can improve the efficiency of photocatalytic reactions at semiconductor surfaces for pollutant degradation and hydrogen production.

2024 ChemCatChem 3 citations
Article Tier 2

State of the art in the photochemical degradation of (micro)plastics: from fundamental principles to catalysts and applications

This review summarizes research on the photochemical degradation of plastics and microplastics into value-added products and intermediates via photocatalysis. The study covers fundamental principles and catalytic approaches for breaking down plastic pollutants that are otherwise difficult to degrade in the environment.

2023 Journal of Materials Chemistry A 94 citations
Article Tier 2

Photocatalytic Degradation of Emerging Pollutants Using Covalent Organic Frameworks

This review covers how covalent organic frameworks, a class of porous crystalline materials, can be used as photocatalysts to break down emerging contaminants including microplastics and pharmaceuticals. Researchers highlighted the tunable structure and high surface area of these materials as key advantages for environmental cleanup applications. The technology represents a promising sustainable approach to degrading persistent pollutants using light-driven chemistry.

2025 The Chemical Record 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro‐ and Nano‐Plastic Pollution

Researchers review the growing global threat of micro- and nanoplastics — plastic particles ranging from 0.1mm down to 100 nanometers — exploring how they bind to toxic chemicals as they travel through the environment and how emerging photocatalytic technologies using sunlight could offer sustainable new ways to break them down.

2025
Article Tier 2

Encapsulation of carbon-nanodots into metal-organic frameworks for boosting photocatalytic upcycling of polyvinyl chloride plastic

Researchers created a new material by embedding tiny carbon nanodots inside a metal-organic framework to break down PVC plastic waste using light energy. The combined material performed significantly better than either component alone, converting PVC into useful chemical products like formic acid and acetic acid. This photocatalytic approach offers a promising path toward recycling one of the most difficult-to-process types of plastic waste.

2023 Applied Catalysis B: Environmental 64 citations
Article Tier 2

In-situ formation of Ag2O in metal-organic framework for light-driven upcycling of microplastics coupled with hydrogen production

Researchers developed a light-activated catalyst that can break down microplastics while simultaneously producing hydrogen gas as a clean energy byproduct, using a novel metal-organic framework material that converts plastic pollution into useful chemicals — offering a potential two-in-one solution for plastic waste and energy production.

2022 Applied Catalysis B: Environmental 143 citations
Article Tier 2

Pollutants to Products: A Tailored Multicomponent Photocatalyst for Simultaneous CO 2 and Plastic Waste Conversion

Researchers developed a photocatalyst that simultaneously converts CO2 and PET plastic waste into useful chemicals (CO, methane, ethylene glycol) using only light, with CO2 reduced at over 95% selectivity. The dual-use design eliminates the need for chemical sacrificial agents by using plastic as the electron donor for CO2 reduction. Beyond plastic recycling, the system also suggests a pathway for degrading microplastics, offering a single solar-driven process that tackles two major pollution problems at once.

2026 Small
Article Tier 2

Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production from Polystyrene Nanoplastics Using Pd/TiO2 Nanoparticles

Researchers developed a light-driven photocatalyst using palladium on titanium dioxide nanoparticles that can simultaneously break down polystyrene nanoplastics and produce hydrogen gas. The best-performing catalyst generated significant hydrogen output while also reducing the size of the plastic particles. The study demonstrates a dual-benefit approach that could address nanoplastic water pollution while generating clean energy.

2025 ACS Applied Nano Materials 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Synthetic approaches, classification, properties and application of Metal-organic Frameworks: A review

Despite its title referencing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), this paper reviews the synthesis, classification, and applications of MOF materials in areas like catalysis, energy, and environmental remediation — not microplastic pollution. While MOFs have been explored as tools for removing pollutants from water, this paper does not focus on microplastics and is not directly relevant to microplastics research or human health.

2025 Communication in Physical Sciences 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Development of Catalytic Reduction of Renewable Carbon Resources Using Well-Elaborated Organometallic Complexes with PNNP Tetradentate Ligands

This is a chemistry study focused on developing organometallic catalyst complexes for the reduction of renewable carbon resources, aimed at reducing fossil fuel dependence. It is not related to microplastics or environmental pollution research.

2020 Journal of Synthetic Organic Chemistry Japan 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Visible-Light-DrivenPhotocatalytic Hydrogen Productionfrom Polystyrene Nanoplastics Using Pd/TiO2 Nanoparticles

Researchers developed a palladium-modified titanium dioxide photocatalyst that degrades polystyrene nanoplastics under visible light while simultaneously producing green hydrogen, finding that the plastic itself was necessary as a fuel source for hydrogen evolution.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Catalytic transformation of microplastics to functional carbon for catalytic peroxymonosulfate activation: Conversion mechanism and defect of scavenging

Researchers developed a method to convert high-density polyethylene plastic waste into functional carbon materials that can activate peroxymonosulfate to break down organic pollutants in water. Using a salt template-based approach with nickel chloride, they produced carbon nanosheets with high catalytic efficiency. The study demonstrates a promising approach for upcycling plastic waste into useful water purification catalysts.

2023 Applied Catalysis B: Environmental 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Charting a path to catalytic upcycling of plastic micro/nano fiber pollution from textiles to produce carbon nanomaterials and turquoise hydrogen

Researchers demonstrated proof-of-concept for catalytic upcycling of polyester and cotton textile-derived microfibers into structured solid carbon products, using a defined fiber feedstock to establish a pathway for converting fiber pollution into value-added carbon materials.

2023 RSC Sustainability 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanomaterials for Advanced Photocatalytic Plastic Conversion

This review examines the use of nanomaterials for photocatalytic conversion of waste plastics into useful chemicals and fuels, highlighting approaches that use sunlight as an energy source under ambient conditions. Photocatalytic upcycling of plastic waste offers a potentially sustainable alternative to conventional thermal and chemical recycling methods.

2023 Molecules 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Visible Light Photocatalysis: Green Hydrogen Production

Not relevant to microplastics — this paper describes strategies for using visible-light photocatalysis to generate green hydrogen fuel from organic compounds and cellulose waste, an energy research topic unrelated to microplastic pollution.

2023 ECS Meeting Abstracts 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainability-driven photocatalysis: oxygen-doped g-C3N4 for organic contaminant degradation

This paper is not about microplastics. It discusses oxygen-doped graphitic carbon nitride as a photocatalyst for degrading organic contaminants in water, focusing on the material's enhanced charge carrier properties. While photocatalytic degradation could theoretically be applied to plastic pollutants, this study addresses general organic contaminant removal rather than microplastic pollution.

2023 RSC Sustainability 20 citations
Article Tier 2

High-selective platinum and palladium capture using polyamide 6: A potent material for platinum group metals’ recovery from spent car catalytic converter

Researchers demonstrated that polyamide 6 — a common microplastic pollutant — can selectively recover platinum and palladium from solution at rates of roughly 90% and 70% respectively without chemical modification, suggesting a dual-purpose approach that recycles a plastic waste material while recovering scarce precious metals from spent catalytic converters.

2024 Journal of Environmental Management 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Unlocking the Potential of MOFs for Waste Plastic Resource Utilization and Microplastic Pollution Control

This review examines the potential of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) — a class of highly porous, engineered materials — to serve as catalysts for both breaking down microplastic pollution and converting waste plastic into valuable chemical feedstocks. MOFs offer tunable structures and large surface areas that make them attractive for both degradation and upcycling applications. The review positions MOF-enabled catalysis as a tool for transitioning toward a circular plastics economy where waste plastic becomes a resource rather than a pollutant.

2026 Sustainable Engineering Novit
Article Tier 2

Application of metal-organic frameworks for photocatalytic degradation of microplastics: Design, challenges, and scope

This review examines how metal-organic frameworks can be designed and applied for photocatalytic degradation of microplastics in wastewater, addressing the challenge of microplastic hydrophobicity and their resistance to conventional treatment. The authors discuss design strategies, current performance limitations, and future directions for scaling photocatalytic MOF technology to practical remediation applications.

2024 Chemosphere 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of Nanotechnology in Plastic and Microplastic Management

This review examines how nanotechnology can enhance plastic and microplastic degradation, describing how nanomaterials can modify microbial metabolic pathways to improve biodegradation rates and how photocatalytic approaches can break down plastics into low-molecular-weight intermediates suitable for use as chemical feedstocks.

2025
Article Tier 2

Photoluminescence of Argan-Waste-Derived Carbon Nanodots Embedded in Polymer Matrices

Not relevant to microplastics — this study creates photoluminescent carbon nanodots from argan waste and embeds them in transparent polymer films intended to improve solar panel efficiency by converting UV light, with no connection to microplastic pollution.

2023 Nanomaterials 8 citations