Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Effect of wettability on microplastic aerosolization via film and jet drops ejected from bursting bubbles

Researchers experimentally investigated how wettability of microplastic particles affects their aerosolization via film drops and jet drops ejected from bursting bubbles at the ocean surface. They found that particle wettability significantly controls the probability of microplastic inclusion in ejected droplets, with implications for understanding how microplastics transfer from the ocean surface into the atmosphere.

2025 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts
Article Tier 2

Wettability of microplastic particles affects their water-to-air ejection via bubble bursting.

Researchers experimentally investigated how the wettability of microplastic particles influences their transfer from water to air via bubble bursting, using 1 micron diameter polystyrene particles with contrasting hydrophilic and hydrophobic surface modifications and finding that particle wettability significantly affects enrichment into aerosolized jet droplets.

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

Water–air transfer rates of microplastic particles through bubble bursting as a function of particle size

Researchers studied how microplastic particles transfer from water to air through bubble bursting, testing polystyrene particles of various sizes. The study found that smaller particles were ejected more efficiently by jet drops, with transfer rates depending on particle size and air flow, suggesting that bubble bursting at water surfaces may be an important but underrecognized pathway for microplastic transport into the atmosphere.

2024 Microplastics and Nanoplastics 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Experimental evidence of plastic particles transfer at the water-air interface through bubble bursting

Experimental evidence showed that bubble bursting at the sea surface can transfer plastic particles from bulk water to sea spray aerosols, providing a mechanism for microplastics to be transported from ocean surface waters into the atmosphere.

2021 Environmental Pollution 66 citations
Article Tier 2

New insights into the role of marine plastic-gels in microplastic transfer from water to the atmosphere via bubble bursting

Researchers identified a three-step mechanism by which microplastics are transferred from ocean surface water to the atmosphere during bubble bursting, finding that marine gel particles play a critical role by concentrating MPs at the air-sea interface before aerosol ejection. The results help explain how MPs reach remote terrestrial environments through atmospheric deposition from the ocean.

2022 Water Research 52 citations
Article Tier 2

The rise and rupture of bubbles: applications to biofouling, microplastic pollution, and sea spray aerosols

Researchers studied how rising air bubbles in water collect microplastics and bacteria on their surfaces and transport them to the liquid surface, and how bubble bursting then launches these particles into the air as sea spray — with implications for both aquatic contamination and airborne microplastic exposure.

2023 OpenBU (Boston University)
Article Tier 2

Nanoscale insight into the interaction mechanism underlying the transport of microplastics by bubbles in aqueous environment

Nanoscale experiments revealed that bubble capture of microplastics in water is governed by hydrophobic interactions and surface charge complementarity between bubbles and MP particles. Understanding these mechanisms is critical for modeling the role of bubbles in transporting MPs from water to air-water interfaces and across environmental compartments.

2024 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Examination of the ocean as a source for atmospheric microplastics

Researchers assessed whether the ocean can be a net source of atmospheric microplastics (rather than just a sink), finding evidence that bubble bursting and sea spray can eject plastic particles from ocean surface waters into the atmosphere.

2020 PLoS ONE 444 citations
Article Tier 2

Modeling of vertical microplastic transport by rising bubbles

This study modeled the vertical transport of microplastic particles by rising bubbles in the ocean, finding that bubble-mediated transport significantly enhances surface concentration of microplastics and helps explain why surface measurements often show higher particle densities than bulk water predictions suggest.

2023 Microplastics and Nanoplastics 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Numerical simulations of bursting bubbles: effects of contamination on droplet ejection and micro- and nanoplastics transport

Scientists used computer simulations to study how tiny plastic particles get launched into the air when bubbles pop at water surfaces, like in oceans or wastewater treatment plants. They found that contaminants in the water change how bubbles burst and affect how many droplets containing microplastics are released into the air we breathe. This research helps us better understand how microplastics from polluted water can end up in the atmosphere and potentially impact human health through inhalation.

2026
Article Tier 2

AQuantitative Relationshipbetween Settling and Wettabilityfor Weathered Microplastics in Aquatic Systems

Researchers quantified the relationship between surface wettability and settling velocity for weathered microplastics in aquatic systems, demonstrating that wettability-driven microscale changes at the particle-water interface modify drag forces and thus govern the transport and fate of submillimeter plastic particles.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

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.

2026 Environmental Science & Technology
Article Tier 2

Bubble-mediated generation of airborne nanoplastic particles

Laboratory experiments examined nanoplastic particle emission into air through bubble bursting from low-salinity waters, testing 103, 147, and 269 nm polystyrene spheres. Results quantified the efficiency of water-to-air transfer of nanoplastics via bubble-bursting, suggesting this mechanism is a significant but poorly quantified source of airborne nanoplastics near water surfaces.

2024 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 6 citations
Article Tier 2

AQuantitative Relationshipbetween Settling and Wettabilityfor Weathered Microplastics in Aquatic Systems

Researchers quantified the relationship between surface wettability and settling velocity for weathered microplastics in aquatic systems, demonstrating that wettability-driven changes at the particle-water interface alter drag forces and thus residence time and distribution in the water column.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

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.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Is atmospheric pathway a significant contributor to microplastics in the marine environment?

Researchers reviewed evidence for atmospheric transport of microplastics to and from marine environments, finding that wind-driven processes like sand storms, bubble bursts, and sea spray can eject microplastics from ocean surfaces into aerosols, making the atmosphere a significant but understudied pathway in the marine microplastic cycle.

2023 Emerging contaminants 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Manuscript Dataset

Researchers compiled the supporting dataset for a study examining how surface wettability influences the aerosolization of microplastics via film and jet droplets ejected from bursting bubbles, providing the underlying data for figures describing aerosolization dynamics.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Biofilm Formation Influences the Wettability and Settling of Microplastics

This study found that biofilm formation on microplastic surfaces does not necessarily increase particle mass density enough to cause sinking, contradicting a common assumption. Instead, changes in particle wettability caused by biofilm were identified as a critical mechanism controlling microplastic vertical transport in the ocean.

2022 Environmental Science & Technology Letters 79 citations
Article Tier 2

Understanding microplastic flotation through microbubble-microplastic interactions

Researchers studied how microbubbles attach to polyethylene and polystyrene microplastics across a range of salt concentrations to understand flotation-based removal. Polyethylene showed consistently higher bubble attachment than polystyrene due to stronger hydrophobic interactions, and adhesion force analysis confirmed PE's greater tendency for bubble-mediated flotation.

2025 Surfaces and Interfaces 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Ejection of marine microplastics by raindrops: a computational and experimental study

This computational and experimental study showed that raindrops hitting the ocean surface can eject tiny water droplets carrying microplastic particles into the atmosphere. Rainfall is thus a mechanism for spreading microplastics from ocean surfaces into the air, contributing to global atmospheric plastic transport.

2022 4 citations