Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

High-performance amino-crosslinked phosphorylated microcrystalline cellulose/MoS2 hybrid aerogel for polystyrene nanoplastics removal from aqueous environments

Researchers fabricated a porous aerogel from phosphorylated cellulose and molybdenum disulfide nanosheets functionalized with polyethyleneimine and showed it removes carboxyl-modified polystyrene nanoplastics from water with an adsorption capacity of 402 mg/g, maintaining performance across a range of water chemistries and remaining reusable after multiple cycles.

2025 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Aerogels Fabricated from Wood-Derived Functional Cellulose Nanofibrils for Highly Efficient Separation of Microplastics

Researchers developed aerogel filters from chemically modified wood-derived cellulose nanofibrils that achieved up to 100% efficiency in removing polystyrene microplastics from water. The aerogels captured microplastics through a combination of physical entrapment, electrostatic interaction, and hydrogen bonding, and maintained their effectiveness over eight filtration cycles. The study demonstrates a promising green technology using sustainable materials for addressing microplastic pollution in aquatic environments.

2023 ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Compression‐Triggered Instantaneous Nanoplastic Release From Dynamic Hydrogen‐Bonded LDH@Cellulose Semi‐Flexible Micro‐Nano Aerogel for Sustainable Water Remediation

Researchers developed a flexible aerogel material made from modified cellulose and layered double hydroxide that can adsorb nanoplastics from water at extremely high capacity and then rapidly release them in seconds when squeezed — far faster regeneration than conventional filters. The material maintained strong performance over 100 compression cycles, suggesting it could be a practical tool for removing nanoplastics from drinking water and wastewater at scale.

2026 Advanced Functional Materials
Article Tier 2

Biobased Composite Aerogels for Efficient Flow-Through Capture of Nanoplastics via Multimodal Interfacial Interactions

Scientists created a new sponge-like filter made from natural materials that can remove nearly 100% of tiny plastic particles from water. These nanoplastics are so small they're invisible to the naked eye but pose potential health risks when they get into drinking water. The filter works efficiently with very little energy, offering a promising way to clean up water contaminated with plastic pollution.

2026 ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
Article Tier 2

Rapid adsorption of directional cellulose nanofibers/3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane/polyethyleneimine aerogels on microplastics in water

Researchers developed a cellulose nanofiber aerogel modified with polyethyleneimine for rapidly adsorbing microplastics from water. The study found that the aerogel reached adsorption equilibrium within just 20 minutes and followed established kinetic and isotherm models. These findings suggest that modified cellulose-based aerogels could serve as effective, green materials for removing microplastic contamination from water bodies.

2023 International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 69 citations
Article Tier 2

Cellulose nanofibril-loaded filter paper for highly efficient removal of microplastics via multiscale capture mechanisms

Researchers fabricated a cellulose nanofibril-loaded filter paper composite and found it achieved over 93% removal efficiency for polystyrene, polypropylene, and PET microplastics through a combination of physical interception, electrostatic interactions, and hydrogen bonding.

2025 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science
Article Tier 2

Efficient microplastics adsorption in aqueous environments via bidirectional ordered graphene oxide/nanocellulose aerogels

Researchers developed a new material made from graphene oxide and nanocellulose that can effectively remove microplastics from water. The aerogel absorbed up to 241 milligrams of microplastics per gram of material and maintained over 80% efficiency after 20 reuse cycles. This kind of reusable filter technology could help reduce the amount of microplastics reaching drinking water sources and the food chain.

2024 International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Effective removal of nanoplastics from water by cellulose/MgAl layered double hydroxides composite beads

Researchers developed cellulose and layered double hydroxide composite beads to remove nanoplastics from water. The material achieved a maximum removal capacity of 6.08 mg/g through mechanisms involving pore diffusion, hydrogen bonding, and electrostatic interactions, suggesting it could be a promising adsorbent for micro- and nanoplastic removal from water.

2022 Carbohydrate Polymers 78 citations
Article Tier 2

Dialdehyde modified and cationic aerogel for efficient microplastics adsorption from environmental waters

Scientists developed a plant-based aerogel material that can efficiently absorb microplastics from water, achieving removal rates above 90% across a wide range of water conditions. The material maintained its effectiveness after eight reuse cycles, making it a practical and eco-friendly solution. This type of technology could help reduce microplastic levels in rivers, lakes, and reservoirs that supply drinking water.

2023 International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Superhydrophobic Materials and Intermolecular Forces for Microplastics Removal

This review examines the use of superhydrophobic materials—sponges, meshes, and particulate materials—for removing microplastics from water, highlighting their near-100% removal efficiency enabled by unique wetting properties. It identifies superhydrophobic materials as particularly promising for capturing small microplastic particles that conventional methods struggle to remove.

2025 ACS Materials Letters 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Nature-derived hydrogel for microplastic removal

Scientists developed a nature-based hydrogel made from chitin and lignin that can remove nanoplastics from wastewater with very high efficiency, absorbing up to 1,791 milligrams of plastic per gram of material. This sustainable, reusable filter could help reduce the amount of tiny plastic particles that reach drinking water and ultimately the human body.

2025 Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials 13 citations
Article Tier 2

An Updated Overview of Silica Aerogel-Based Nanomaterials

This review covers the properties, production methods, and applications of silica aerogels, which are ultra-lightweight materials with tiny pores and excellent insulating abilities. While not about microplastics specifically, silica aerogel composites are being explored as potential tools for filtering and removing microplastics from water due to their high porosity and ability to be combined with other functional materials. The review provides background on a technology that could contribute to future microplastic cleanup solutions.

2024 Nanomaterials 82 citations
Article Tier 2

Degradable quaternary ammonium salt-modified rice straw cellulose/chitosan composite aerogel for high-efficiency microplastic adsorption

Researchers created a quaternary ammonium salt-modified cellulose/chitosan composite aerogel from discarded rice straw and tested it for microplastic adsorption, achieving high removal efficiency and capacity while using a waste-based feedstock to address an emerging pollution problem.

2025 International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Tiered biomimetic polydimethylsiloxane coated polyurethane sponge for sustainable seawater nanoplastic removal

Researchers developed a superhydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane-coated polyurethane sponge inspired by biomimetic tiered design that achieves a nanoplastic sorption capacity of 406.9 mg/g, removing 96.2% of 240 nm polystyrene nanoplastics in scaled-up experiments with 91.7% retention after 30 regeneration cycles.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Fabrication and Characterization of Biomass-derived Superabsorbent Bio-gel

Not relevant to microplastics — this paper develops and tests bio-based superabsorbent gels made from carboxymethyl cellulose as sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based superabsorbent polymers for water retention applications.

2023 Journal of Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Fish Gill-InspiredBidirectional Porous PolysaccharideAerogels for Micro/Nanoplastics Removal

Inspired by fish gill structure, researchers created a bidirectional porous aerogel from chitosan, cellulose nanofibers, and polydopamine that achieved adsorption capacities exceeding 300 mg/g for micro- and nanoplastics, offering a sustainable bio-based removal material.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Superhydrophilic adsorptive nanofiber membranes for ultrafast and highly-efficient waterborne nanoplastic removal

Researchers engineered a superhydrophilic nanofiber membrane by cross-linking polyethylene oxide into a polylactic acid polymer network, achieving greater than 99.99% separation efficiency for nanoplastics larger than 150 nm through combined hydrophobic and pi-pi molecular interactions, with water permeance 53 times higher than conventional membranes under gravity-driven flow.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Separation of microplastics from water using superhydrophobic silane-coupling-agent-modified geopolymer foam

Researchers created a water-repelling foam filter by modifying a geopolymer material with a silane coating and tested its ability to remove microplastics from water. The filter achieved roughly 99 percent removal of polyethylene microspheres and maintained its performance over approximately 200 treatment cycles. The study demonstrates that this inexpensive, chemically modified foam could be a practical tool for filtering microplastics from laundry and other wastewater sources.

2024 Separation and Purification Technology 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Emerging Porous Materials for Adsorptive Removal of Microplastics and Nanoplastics from Aquatic Environments: A Review

This review summarizes recent advances in using porous materials, including sponges, aerogels, hydrogels, metal-organic frameworks, and carbon-based adsorbents, to remove microplastics and nanoplastics from water. Researchers found that adsorption using these materials is a promising, cost-effective approach that outperforms conventional water treatment methods for plastic particle removal. The study identifies key challenges and future research directions for developing practical adsorbents for real-world plastic pollution mitigation.

2025 ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Mucin-Inspired Thermogels for Programmable Nanoplastic Removal in Water Purification

Researchers developed mucin-inspired amphiphilic bottlebrush copolymers that self-assemble into micelles and undergo reversible temperature-triggered sol-gel-syneresis transitions to capture nanoplastics from water, achieving removal efficiencies of 68-100% for polystyrene nanoplastics (20-1000 nm) and recovery efficiencies up to 61% for downstream analysis.

2025
Article Tier 2

Synergistic Microplastics Capture and Bacterial Inhibition by a Cationic COF‐Reinforced Chitosan/Tannic Acid Aerogel

Researchers developed a cationic covalent organic framework aerogel made from chitosan and tannic acid that effectively captures microplastics from water while also inhibiting bacteria. The study suggests this low-cost, monolithic aerogel overcomes the limitations of powdered materials and offers a practical, convenient approach for microplastic removal from contaminated water.

2026 Advanced Functional Materials
Article Tier 2

Durable Superhydrophobic Coating for Efficient Microplastic Removal

Researchers developed a durable superhydrophobic (water-repelling) coating on aluminum that can efficiently capture and remove microplastic particles from water. The coating attracted microplastics at high removal rates and remained effective over multiple use cycles. This type of material could be incorporated into water treatment systems or filtration devices to reduce microplastic contamination in drinking water and wastewater.

2021 Coatings 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Superhydrophobic cotton fabrics for effective removal of high-density polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics: Insights from surface and colloidal analysis

A superhydrophobic non-woven cotton fabric achieved 99% removal efficiency for high-density polyethylene and polypropylene microplastics from water, with the mechanism explained by increased binding energy and positive Hamaker constants when microplastics are present in the oil phase used in the process.

2023 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Fish Gill-Inspired Bidirectional Porous Polysaccharide Aerogels for Micro/Nanoplastics Removal

Researchers developed a fish gill-inspired bidirectional porous aerogel made from chitosan and other polysaccharides for removing micro- and nanoplastics from water. The biomimetic structure allowed efficient capture of plastic particles across a wide size range while maintaining good water flow. The study presents a sustainable filtration approach using biodegradable materials that could address the challenge of removing tiny plastic particles from freshwater systems.

2025 ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 1 citations