Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

The production and characterisation of nanoplastic reference material: optimization and method development

Researchers optimized non-solvent phase separation methods using xylene, toluene, and phenol as solvents to produce nanoplastic reference materials from polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and polystyrene — polymer types more environmentally representative than commonly used commercial polystyrene nanoparticles. They characterized the produced particles by dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscopy, FTIR, and Raman spectroscopy, finding predominantly irregular fragment morphologies that more closely resemble environmentally occurring nanoplastics.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Preparation of Nanoplastic Particles as Potential Standards for the Study of Nanoplastics

Researchers developed methods to prepare well-defined nanoplastic particles as potential reference standards for nanoplastic research, addressing the critical shortage of reliable materials for toxicity studies and analytical method validation. The study characterized the size, shape, and surface properties of the produced particles to confirm their suitability as standards.

2024 YAKUGAKU ZASSHI 1 citations
Article Tier 2

A reliable procedure to obtain environmentally relevant nanoplastic proxies

Researchers developed a reliable procedure for producing nanoplastic proxies with properties more representative of environmentally aged nanoplastics, addressing the urgent need for better reference materials in nanoplastic fate, transport, and toxicology research.

2021 Environmental Science Nano 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Production, labeling, and applications of micro- and nanoplastic reference and test materials

This study reviews methods for producing, labeling, and applying micro- and nanoplastic reference and test materials for research purposes. The researchers address the growing need for in-house production of standardized test materials, driven by challenges in extracting these particles from the environment and the limited range of commercially available options.

2025 Environmental Science Nano 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Aqueous Dispersions of Polypropylene: Toward Reference Materials for Characterizing Nanoplastics

Researchers developed aqueous dispersions of polypropylene nanoplastics to serve as reference materials for detection and characterization studies, addressing a critical gap in nanoplastics research where the lack of standardized reference particles has hindered method development for identifying nanoplastics in environmental and biological samples.

2022 Macromolecular Rapid Communications 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Preparation of Nanoscale Particles of Five Major Polymers as Potential Standards for the Study of Nanoplastics

Researchers developed a precipitation-based method for preparing nanoscale particles of five major polymers, creating standardized reference materials needed for studying nanoplastic distribution and toxicity in the environment.

2021 Small 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Fabrication of microplastic and nanoplastic particles and fibres for use in pulmonary toxicity studies

Researchers developed fabrication methods to produce micro- and nanoplastics from three environmentally relevant polymers (polyamide, polypropylene, and PET) in both particle and fiber shapes, addressing a critical gap in pulmonary toxicity research where most studies use only polystyrene spheres.

2025 Particle and Fibre Toxicology
Article Tier 2

Paper on the developed characterisation methods for SMPs (< 10 μm) and NPs (< 0.1 μm), and in terms of: (i) chemical identity of the SMPs/NPs polymer type; (ii) physical particle characterisation and quantification, size distribution and particle morphologies; and (iii) quantification of the mass fraction in complex matrices. Uncertainty evaluation and traceability statements will be included

Researchers developed and comprehensively characterized a nano-polypropylene test material produced by mechanical fragmentation as a reference standard for nanoplastic (less than 100 nm) measurement, validating its homogeneity and stability across multiple analytical techniques including light scattering, high-resolution microscopy, and spectrometry.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Eco-Friendly Fabrication of Nanoplastic Particles and Fibrils Using Polymer Blends as Templates

Researchers developed an eco-friendly method for fabricating well-defined nanoplastic particles and fibrils using polymer blends as templates, addressing the lack of standardized nanoplastic reference materials that hinders toxicity research. The approach enables production of reproducible nanoplastic standards for analytical method development.

2024 Research Square (Research Square)
Article Tier 2

Eco-Friendly fabrication of nanoplastic particles and fibrils using polymer blends as templates

Researchers developed a simple, eco-friendly method to produce nanoplastic particles and fibers in the lab by blending common plastics (polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene) with water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol, then dissolving the outer matrix away. The technique provides well-defined nanoplastic samples that researchers need to accurately study toxicity and develop detection methods.

2024 Chemical Engineering Journal 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Quality-by-design and current good practices for the production of test and reference materials for micro- and nano-plastic research

Researchers outlined best practices for producing standardized reference materials used in micro- and nanoplastic research, covering both top-down fragmentation and bottom-up precipitation methods. They provided examples using common polymers like polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and PET across different size ranges. The study addresses a critical need in the field, since reliable reference materials are essential for validating the analytical methods used to detect and measure plastic pollution.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Fabrication of microplastic and nanoplastic particles and fibres for use in pulmonary toxicity studies

Researchers developed methods to fabricate polyamide, polystyrene, and polyethylene terephthalate micro/nanoplastics in particle and fiber forms of respirable dimensions, addressing the limitation that most pulmonary toxicity studies have used only commercially available polystyrene spheres.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Synthesis of model polyethylene particles for the study of nanoplastics in the oceans

Researchers synthesized model polyethylene nanoplastic particles to serve as reference materials for studying the behavior and fate of nanoplastics in ocean environments, addressing the gap created by the lack of standardized particles representative of naturally fragmented marine plastic debris.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Unveiling the Environmental Characteristics of Sub-1000-nm Nanoplastics: A Comprehensive Review of the Preparation Methods for Nanoplastic Model Samples

This review addresses the challenge of creating realistic nanoplastic samples for lab research, since most studies have only used polystyrene spheres that do not represent the diverse shapes and types of nanoplastics found in the real environment. Better lab models are essential for accurately understanding the health risks these tiny plastic particles pose to humans.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Forming Micro-and Nano-Plastics from Agricultural Plastic Films for Employment in Fundamental Research Studies

Researchers developed a method for generating representative micro- and nano-plastics directly from agricultural mulch films (polyethylene and biodegradable starch-based films) for use in ecotoxicology studies, addressing limitations of using commercially manufactured polystyrene spheres as surrogates. The method produced particles with surface chemistry and size distributions more reflective of real environmental agricultural plastic fragments.

2022 Journal of Visualized Experiments 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Fabrication of microplastic and nanoplastic particles and fibres for use in pulmonary toxicity studies

Researchers developed fabrication methods for polyamide, polystyrene, and polyethylene terephthalate micro/nanoplastics in both particle and fiber forms, producing respirable-sized test materials with verified chemical purity for use in more environmentally realistic lung toxicity studies.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Production and Characterization of Polyethylene Terephthalate Nanoparticles

Researchers developed a simple, scalable milling method for producing polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nanoparticles from commercial pellets for use in laboratory toxicology and environmental studies. The method avoids the need for liquid nitrogen and produces representative model nanoplastics at low cost with high yield. The study addresses a key barrier in nanoplastics research by providing accessible reference particles that more closely resemble environmental plastic debris.

2021 Polymers 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Small micro- and nanoplastic test and reference materials for research: Current status and future needs

This review highlights the critical shortage of well-characterized, environmentally relevant reference materials for studying small microplastics and nanoplastics. Most laboratory studies use commercially available spherical particles that do not represent the irregular, weathered particles found in nature. The authors call for developing standardized reference materials that better mimic real-world microplastic contamination to improve the reliability of exposure and hazard assessments.

2025 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Towards nanoplastic reference materials representative of partially degraded/naturally aged samples in complex food and environmental matrices

Researchers developed nanoplastic reference materials that better represent partially degraded and naturally aged particles found in real environmental and food matrices, addressing the inadequacy of commercially available monodispersed spherical particles that do not reflect the polydispersed, irregular morphology of environmental nanoplastics.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Synthesis of model polyethylene particles for the study of nanoplastics in the oceans

Researchers developed a synthesis method for model polyethylene particles designed to replicate the physicochemical properties of naturally degraded nanoplastics in the ocean, addressing the need for environmentally representative reference materials for studying nanoplastic behavior in marine systems.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

The Challenge of the Analysis of Nanoplastics in the Environment: Current Status and Perspectives

This review examines the analytical challenges of detecting and characterising nanoplastics in environmental samples, presenting the state of the art in size determination, chemical composition analysis, and quantification techniques, as well as a survey of nanoplastic model materials used in the literature.

2022
Article Tier 2

Towards nanoplastic reference materials representative of partially degraded/naturally aged samples in complex food and environmental matrices

Researchers developed nanoplastic reference materials that better represent partially degraded and naturally aged particles found in real environmental and food matrices, addressing the gap left by commercially available monodispersed, spherical, surfactant-coated particles that do not reflect the polydispersed morphologies of environmental nanoplastics.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Paper on the developed characterisation methods for SMPs (< 10 μm) and NPs (< 0.1 μm), and in terms of: (i) chemical identity of the SMPs/NPs polymer type; (ii) physical particle characterisation and quantification, size distribution and particle morphologies; and (iii) quantification of the mass fraction in complex matrices. Uncertainty evaluation and traceability statements will be included

Researchers developed and comprehensively characterised a polypropylene nanoplastic reference material produced through top-down mechanical fragmentation, using AF4, DLS, SEM, Raman, ICP-MS, and py-GC/MS to establish a traceable, homogeneous test material with a broad size distribution of 50-200 nm for advancing nanoplastics measurement standards.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Surfactant-free synthesis of polyethylene nanoparticles: toward more realistic model nanoplastics

Researchers developed a surfactant-free aqueous emulsion polymerization method to synthesize polyethylene nanoparticles (50–200 nm) as more realistic model nanoplastics for laboratory studies. Unlike surfactant-stabilized models, these particles better mimic the physicochemical properties of environmental nanoplastics.

2025 Polymer Chemistry