Papers

61,005 results
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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

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

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

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

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

Plastic-derived carbon dots for sustainable environmental applications

Researchers developed a method to convert waste plastic into carbon dots — ultrasmall carbon nanomaterials with tunable photoluminescence and low toxicity — offering a sustainable approach to upcycling non-biodegradable plastic waste for environmental sensing and remediation applications.

2023
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

Recent Advances in Functionalized Carbon Quantum Dots Integrated with Metal–Organic Frameworks: Emerging Platforms for Sensing and Food Safety Applications

This review covers advances in combining carbon quantum dots with metal-organic frameworks to create highly sensitive sensors for detecting food contaminants like heavy metals, pesticides, antibiotics, and pathogens. While not directly about microplastics, these sensing technologies could be adapted to help detect plastic contamination in food and environmental samples.

2025 Foods 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Waste medical mask-derived carbon quantum dots enhance the photocatalytic degradation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) over BiOBr/g-C3N4 S-scheme heterojunction

Researchers converted waste medical masks into carbon quantum dots and used them to enhance a photocatalytic material that breaks down PET microplastics. The upgraded catalyst degraded PET nearly three times more effectively than the base material alone. The study turns pandemic-generated plastic waste into a tool for addressing microplastic pollution, offering a creative recycling approach.

2025 Acta Physico-Chimica Sinica 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Novel simple accurate detection of microplastics based on image of photoluminescent nanoparticle carbon dots via machine learning and deep feature embedding

Researchers developed a simpler, more affordable method for detecting microplastics using fluorescent carbon dot nanoparticles combined with machine learning image analysis. The approach achieved highly accurate detection of PET microplastics by analyzing the glow patterns produced when carbon dots interact with plastic particles. The study suggests this optical-computational method could make microplastic monitoring more accessible by reducing the need for expensive specialized laboratory equipment.

2026 Journal of Environmental Management 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainable microplastic detection using boron-doped carbon dots synthesized from chicken feathers

Researchers synthesized fluorescent boron-doped carbon dots from chicken feathers via one-pot sonochemical processing and demonstrated their use for detecting microplastics in water. The approach converts a poultry farming waste stream into a sustainable optical sensing material, offering a low-cost, environmentally friendly alternative to conventional microplastic detection probes.

2025 IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science
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

Bio-carbon quantum dot modified TiO 2 nanocrystals for photocatalytic degradation of PLA and PET microplastics

Researchers developed a photocatalyst by modifying titanium dioxide nanocrystals with bio-based carbon quantum dots to degrade PET and PLA microplastics under visible light. The composite achieved degradation rates of 28.9% for PET and 59.8% for PLA microplastics within 48 hours in alkaline conditions. The study demonstrates a promising approach for breaking down common microplastic pollutants using sunlight-driven catalysis.

2026 RSC Advances
Article Tier 2

PhosphorescentNaphthalene-Doped Carbon Nitride QuantumDots for Selective Detection of Polyamide Microplastics

Researchers synthesized phosphorescent naphthalene-doped carbon nitride quantum dots that selectively bind to polyamide microplastics via hydrogen bonding, enabling background-free phosphorescence imaging for specific detection of PA particles in complex environmental samples. The approach overcomes the overestimation problem caused by nonspecific fluorescent dyes by exploiting time-gated phosphorescence to eliminate background autofluorescence.

2025 Figshare
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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Detection ofMicroplastics Pollution Using a GreenFluorescent Protein-Based Microbial Biosensor Coupled with Raman Spectroscopy

Researchers developed a biosensor combining a green fluorescent protein-based microbial reporter with Raman spectroscopy for detecting microplastic pollution in aquatic environments. The dual approach enabled both qualitative identification and polymer-specific characterisation of MPs at lower cost than conventional spectroscopic methods alone.

2025 Figshare