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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to How microplastics crosses the buoyancy barrier
ClearHow Microplastics Cross the Buoyancy Barrier
Researchers used Colloidal Probe-AFM to study nanoscale interactions between eco-corona-coated microplastic particles and model sand particles at varying ionic concentrations, finding that natural organic matter comprising the eco-corona can facilitate MP-sand adhesion, offering a mechanistic explanation for how buoyant microplastics cross the buoyancy barrier to sink.
How microplastics crosses the buoyancy barrier
Researchers used Colloidal Probe atomic force microscopy (AFM) to study how the natural organic matter eco-corona on microplastic surfaces affects particle aggregation and buoyancy-relevant surface interactions, investigating the mechanisms by which microplastics cross the buoyancy barrier between water column and air.
How Microplastics cross the Buoyancy Barrier: A multi-scale Study
Researchers investigated how microplastics less dense than water overcome the buoyancy barrier to settle in sediments, using colloidal probe atomic force microscopy, microscale aggregation tests, sedimentation column experiments, and simulations to quantify eco-corona-mediated MP-sediment attraction across scales. They found that eco-corona coatings created attractive forces enabling heteroaggregation with suspended sediment, doubling MP settling frequency in bentonite suspensions and increasing sediment retention by 32%, with environmental shear forces too weak to disrupt the formed aggregates.
A comparative study of microplastics under the influence of soil-typical eco-coronas through laboratory and field incubation experiments
Researchers compared microplastic behavior under laboratory and field incubation conditions when eco-coronas — natural surface coatings of organic matter, proteins, and humic acids — were present on particles, assessing how these coatings modify microplastic hydrophobicity, transport, and toxicity to soil organisms.
A comparative study of microplastics under the influence of soil-typical eco-coronas through laboratory and field incubation experiments
Researchers compared the formation and properties of soil-typical eco-coronas on microplastics through both laboratory incubation and real-world field experiments, examining how natural organic matter coatings of proteins, carbohydrates, and humic acids alter microplastic surface hydrophobicity and transport behaviour. The study found that eco-corona composition significantly influences how microplastics move through terrestrial environments and interact with soil organisms.
Effects of organic matter on interaction forces between polystyrene microplastics: An experimental study
Researchers examined how organic matter in seawater affects the aggregation and adhesion forces between polystyrene microplastics, finding that organic coatings alter surface interaction forces in ways that influence whether microplastics clump together and sink or remain dispersed in the water column.
Transport of eco-corona coated nanoplastics in coastal sediments
Researchers investigated how different surface properties and eco-corona coatings affect the transport of polystyrene nanoplastics through coastal marine sediments. They found that negatively charged particles moved more easily through sediment than positively charged ones, while strong aggregation essentially immobilized unmodified particles. The formation of natural organic coatings on nanoplastics had opposing effects depending on surface charge, sometimes enhancing and sometimes inhibiting transport.
Understanding the formation and influence of soil-typical eco-coronas on microplastics through laboratory and field incubation experiments
Researchers conducted laboratory and field incubation experiments to characterize eco-corona formation on microplastics in soil, finding that soil-derived organic matter including humic acids, proteins, and carbohydrates forms a coating that alters MP surface properties, transport behavior, and adsorption efficiency in terrestrial environments.
Nanoscale interaction mechanism between bubbles and microplastics under the influence of natural organic matter in simulated marine environment
Researchers used atomic force microscopy to measure the nanoscale interactions between air bubbles and different types of microplastics in simulated seawater. They found that hydrophobic plastics like polystyrene and PVC showed stronger bubble attachment than hydrophilic ones, and that humic acid in the water significantly weakened these interactions. The study suggests that natural organic matter in oceans may reduce the tendency of microplastics to be carried to the surface by bubbles, affecting how they circulate in marine environments.
Repulsive interactions of eco-corona covered microplastic particles quantitatively follow modelling of polymer brushes
Researchers studied how the 'eco-corona' — a layer of natural organic molecules that coats microplastics in the environment — affects how plastic particles interact with each other and with surfaces. The eco-corona increased repulsion between particles, following patterns predicted by polymer brush physics models. Understanding the eco-corona is important for predicting how microplastics behave and accumulate in real-world environments.
Impact of different modes of adsorption of natural organic matter on the environmental fate of nanoplastics
Natural organic matter in water can stabilize nanoplastics by coating their surfaces and preventing them from clumping together and settling out, with different types of organic matter working through different physical mechanisms. Understanding this stabilization effect is important for predicting how long nanoplastics remain suspended in aquatic environments.
Surface change of microplastics in aquatic environment and the removal by froth flotation assisted with cationic and anionic surfactants
This study found that microplastics become less water-repellent after months of sitting in natural river water due to surface weathering and mineral buildup, which makes them harder to remove by flotation methods. The researchers then showed that adding surfactants (soap-like chemicals) could restore the microplastics' water-repellent properties and make flotation effective again. This work advances practical methods for cleaning microplastics out of contaminated water.
Repulsive Interactions of Eco-corona-Covered Microplastic Particles Quantitatively Follow Modeling of Polymer Brushes
Researchers demonstrated that the eco-corona layer formed by natural organic matter on microplastic surfaces creates long-range repulsive interactions between particles, following the polymer brush model and fundamentally altering how microplastics behave in the environment.
Exploring different effects of biofilm formation and natural organic matter adsorption on the properties of three typical microplastics in the freshwater
Researchers compared how natural biofilm growth versus dissolved organic matter adsorption changes the surface properties of three common microplastics in freshwater. Biofilm formation deposited more material and reduced surface area, while organic matter adsorption created pores and cracks that actually increased surface area, indicating early-stage plastic degradation. Both processes reduced the water-repelling properties of the plastics, which affects how microplastics behave and move through aquatic environments.
Impacts of extracellular polymeric substances on the behaviors of micro/nanoplastics in the water environment
This review examines how extracellular polymeric substances produced by microorganisms interact with micro- and nanoplastics in aquatic environments. Researchers found that these natural polymers can form coatings on plastic particles that enhance pollutant adsorption and promote sinking, influencing how microplastics are transported, distributed, and ultimately removed from the water column.
How surface properties of pristine and environmentally exposed microplastics determine particle-cell-interactions
Researchers examined how surface properties of pristine versus environmentally exposed microplastic particles determine their interactions with cells, including attachment and internalization. The study found that physicochemical properties such as surface charge, functional groups, and eco-corona coatings are critical determinants of particle-cell interactions, underscoring the need for thorough particle characterization in cytotoxicity studies.
Effects of biofouling on the sinking behavior of microplastics
Researchers studied how biofouling — the accumulation of microorganisms and organic matter on particle surfaces — alters the sinking behavior of microplastics, finding that biofouled particles sink faster and are more likely to reach seafloor sediments.
Surface functional group dependent enthalpic and entropic contributions to molecular adsorption on colloidal microplastics
This chemistry study measured how different organic molecules (charged and neutral) stick to the surface of various microplastic particles in water, finding that the plastic's surface chemistry strongly influences the strength and nature of these interactions. The work reveals that both electrostatic attraction and water structure at the plastic surface play a role in determining what contaminants microplastics can carry. This matters because microplastics act as "carriers" for other pollutants, and understanding the binding chemistry helps predict which toxins hitchhike with plastics into ecosystems and organisms.
Influence of nanoplastic surface charge on eco-corona formation, aggregation and toxicity to freshwater zooplankton
Researchers examined how surface charge and natural organic matter influence the stability and toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics to freshwater zooplankton. They found that positively charged nanoplastics were significantly more toxic than negatively charged ones, and that natural organic matter formed an eco-corona on the particles that reduced their toxicity. The study highlights that both particle surface properties and environmental conditions play critical roles in determining nanoplastic impacts on aquatic organisms.
The role of humic substances’ hydrophobicity in heterogeneous adsorption onto microplastics: Insights from two-dimensional correlation hydrophilic interaction chromatography
Researchers investigated how the hydrophobic properties of humic substances influence their adsorption onto pristine and aged polyethylene microplastics. Using chromatography techniques, they found that more hydrophobic humic molecules preferentially adsorb onto microplastics, with this trend being stronger for aged plastics and under acidic conditions. The study highlights the critical role of hydrophobicity in determining how natural organic matter interacts with microplastics in aquatic environments.
Cation–π Interaction and Salinity Regulate the Bubble-Mediated Transport of Microplastics in the Presence of Aromatic Dissolved Organic Matter
Researchers combined single-molecule force spectroscopy and bulk transport experiments to show that aromatic dissolved organic matter forms an eco-corona on polystyrene microplastics via cation-π interactions, weakening bubble-mediated ejection and promoting aggregation in seawater, while polar PLA microplastics remain colloidally stable and more amenable to vertical atmospheric transport.
Agglomeration of nano- and microplastic particles in seawater by autochthonous and de novo-produced sources of exopolymeric substances
Nano- and microplastic particles in seawater were found to readily form agglomerates with naturally produced exopolymeric substances, altering their surface properties, size, and sinking behavior compared to pristine particles. The study demonstrates that natural organic matter in seawater fundamentally changes how plastic particles behave and interact with marine organisms and sediments.
Suspended clay and surfactants enhance buoyant microplastic settling
Laboratory experiments found that suspended clay particles and surfactants can enhance the settling of buoyant microplastics by promoting aggregation and density increase, providing a physico-chemical mechanism explaining how buoyant plastics can sink in natural water bodies.
Impacts of Eco-Corona on Surface Properties of Nanoplastics
When tiny plastic particles in the environment get coated with natural materials from soil and water (called an "eco-corona"), it changes how they behave and move through sand and soil. This coating can make different types of plastics act more similarly to each other, which could affect how they spread through the environment. Understanding how these coated plastic particles move is important because it helps us predict where microplastics might end up in our water and food supply.