Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Sustainability-driven photocatalysis: oxygen-doped g-C3N4 for organic contaminant degradation

This paper is not about microplastics. It discusses oxygen-doped graphitic carbon nitride as a photocatalyst for degrading organic contaminants in water, focusing on the material's enhanced charge carrier properties. While photocatalytic degradation could theoretically be applied to plastic pollutants, this study addresses general organic contaminant removal rather than microplastic pollution.

2023 RSC Sustainability 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) as an emerging photocatalyst for sustainable environmental applications: a comprehensive review

This review covers graphitic carbon nitride, a material that can break down pollutants using light energy through a process called photocatalysis. While not directly about microplastics, this technology could potentially be applied to degrade microplastics in water using sunlight. The review discusses how the material works, its current applications for cleaning up environmental pollution, and future directions for this sustainable technology.

2023 RSC Sustainability 246 citations
Article Tier 2

Efficient Photocatalytic H2O2 Production Ability of a Novel Graphitic Carbon Nitride/Carbon Composites under Visible Light

Researchers developed a novel graphitic carbon nitride/carbon composite synthesized from microplastics and melamine that achieves high-rate photocatalytic hydrogen peroxide production under visible light, demonstrating a way to upcycle plastic waste into useful photocatalysts.

2023 Small 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Photodegradation of microplastics through nanomaterials: Insights into photocatalysts modification and detailed mechanisms

This review explores how nanomaterial-enhanced photocatalysts can break down microplastics that conventional water treatment fails to remove. The paper details key strategies like element doping and heterojunction construction that improve degradation efficiency, and explains the underlying mechanisms involving free radical formation and singlet oxygen oxidation.

2024 Preprints.org 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Defect Engineered 2D Graphitic Carbon Nitride for Photochemical, (Bio)Electrochemical, and Microplastic Remediation Advancements

This review examines defect-engineered two-dimensional graphitic carbon nitride materials and their applications in photochemical reactions, bioelectrochemical systems, and microplastic remediation. Defect engineering was shown to substantially improve the photocatalytic performance of these materials for breaking down environmental contaminants including microplastics.

2024 ACS ES&T Water 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Preparation of heterojunction C3N4/WO3 photocatalyst for degradation of microplastics in water

Researchers synthesized a carbon nitride/tungsten oxide heterojunction photocatalyst that effectively degrades PET microplastics in water while simultaneously generating hydrogen, offering a dual-benefit approach to addressing plastic pollution through photocatalysis.

2023 Chemosphere 52 citations
Article Tier 2

Graphitic Carbon Nitride Embedded Bio-Based Acrylic Films as Surface Active Photocatalysts

Researchers developed bio-based acrylic films embedded with graphitic carbon nitride as photocatalytic surface coatings, testing their ability to degrade organic pollutants when activated by light. The films showed effective photocatalytic degradation while maintaining biodegradable properties.

2024 Polymer science & technology. 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Visible light driven degradation of BPA and LDPE microplastic films using GO/SCN nanocomposite

Researchers developed a graphene oxide and sulfur-doped carbon nitride nanocomposite capable of degrading both bisphenol A and low-density polyethylene microplastic films under visible light. The material achieved a 21% weight loss in LDPE films after 10 days of irradiation, along with significant surface changes. The study presents a photocatalytic approach for simultaneously breaking down microplastics and harmful organic pollutants in water using sunlight.

2024 RSC Advances 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainable Conversion of Microplastics to Methane with Ultrahigh Selectivity by a Biotic–Abiotic Hybrid Photocatalytic System

Researchers developed a biotic-abiotic hybrid photocatalytic system combining Methanosarcina barkeri bacteria with carbon dot-functionalized polymeric carbon nitrides (CDPCN) to convert biodegradable poly(lactic acid) microplastics into methane with ultrahigh selectivity. The system offered a promising dual-purpose strategy for simultaneously reducing microplastic pollution and generating renewable energy with minimal secondary contamination.

2022 Angewandte Chemie 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent Progress in ZnO-Based Nanostructures for Photocatalytic Antimicrobial in Water Treatment: A Review

This review summarized recent progress in ZnO-based nanostructures for photocatalytic antimicrobial water treatment, highlighting how nanostructure morphology and doping strategies enhance reactive oxygen species generation and broaden applications for removing pathogens and micropollutants including microplastics.

2022 Applied Sciences 24 citations
Article Tier 2

G-C3N4 Dots Decorated with Hetaerolite: Visible-Light Photocatalyst for Degradation of Organic Contaminants

Researchers developed a graphitic carbon nitride and hetaerolite composite photocatalyst that degrades organic contaminants under visible light, offering a cost-effective approach to removing emerging pollutants from water using solar energy.

2023 Catalysts 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Graphitic carbon nitride supported Fe single-atom nanozymes synergize with nitrate reductase for photobiocatalytic nitrate conversion

Not relevant to microplastics — this study develops a photobiocatalytic system combining carbon nitride and iron single-atom nanozymes with natural nitrate reductase enzymes to convert nitrate to nitrite with near-100% selectivity, relevant to water remediation and ammonia production.

2024 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Photocatalytic strategy to mitigate microplastic pollution in aquatic environments: Promising catalysts, efficiencies, mechanisms, and ecological risks

This review summarizes recent advances in photocatalytic degradation of microplastics, covering catalysts, mechanisms, and reactive oxygen species generation pathways. The authors call for more realistic photocatalytic materials, better mechanistic understanding of degradation intermediates, and quantitative ecological risk assessment of photocatalysis byproducts.

2022 Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainable Conversion of Microplastics to Methane with Ultrahigh Selectivity by a Biotic–Abiotic Hybrid Photocatalytic System

Researchers developed a biotic-abiotic hybrid photocatalytic system combining carbon dot-functionalized carbon nitrides with methanogenic archaea that converts biodegradable microplastics into methane with near 100% selectivity, offering a sustainable approach to plastic waste remediation.

2022 Angewandte Chemie International Edition 103 citations
Article Tier 2

Silver Doped TiO2 Photocatalyst for Disinfection ofE. coli and Microplastic Pollutant Degradation in Water

Researchers developed a silver-doped titanium dioxide photocatalyst that could simultaneously kill E. coli bacteria and break down polyethylene microplastics in water under light exposure. This combined disinfection and plastic degradation capability could be useful in water treatment systems.

2021 Asian Journal of Chemistry 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Visible-light-driven removal of tetracycline antibiotics and reclamation of hydrogen energy from natural water matrices and wastewater by polymeric carbon nitride foam

A polymeric carbon nitride foam photocatalyst was used to simultaneously remove tetracycline antibiotics from water and produce hydrogen fuel under visible light, achieving efficient degradation in natural water matrices and wastewater. The study demonstrates a dual-function photocatalytic system that addresses both water pollution remediation and renewable energy generation from a single solar-driven process.

2018 Water Research 571 citations
Article Tier 2

Research on the influence of g-C3N4 microstructure changes on the efficiency of visible light photocatalytic degradation

Researchers used computer modeling to redesign graphitic carbon nitride (a light-activated catalyst) by changing where amino groups attach, dramatically improving its ability to break down pollutants like bisphenol A and antibiotics under visible light. The optimized catalyst degraded some pollutants up to 32 times faster than the original material.

2025 Water Research X 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Photocatalytic and biological technologies for elimination of microplastics in water: Current status

This review examines emerging photocatalytic and biological technologies for breaking down microplastics in water, since conventional treatment facilities can capture but not fully destroy these particles. Researchers found that while photocatalysis and microbial degradation show promise, their effectiveness varies widely and the underlying mechanisms are only partly understood. The study highlights the urgent need for more efficient solutions to eliminate rather than simply filter out microplastic pollution from water supplies.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 137 citations
Article Tier 2

Degradation of Micro- and Nano-Plastics by Photocatalytic Methods

This paper reviews photocatalytic methods — using light-activated catalysts — as a way to break down micro- and nano-plastics in the environment. These approaches offer a promising path toward degrading persistent plastic particles that accumulate in marine and drinking water systems.

2017 Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Applications 56 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic pollution reduction by a carbon and nitrogen-doped TiO2: Effect of pH and temperature in the photocatalytic degradation process

Scientists tested a carbon and nitrogen-doped TiO2 photocatalyst for degrading microplastics and found that degradation efficiency depended strongly on pH and temperature, with optimal conditions achieving significant surface mineralization of tested polymer types.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 432 citations
Article Tier 2

Application of Nanomaterials in the Degradation of Micro and Nano Plastics

This review examined the application of nanomaterials for degrading micro- and nanoplastics, covering photocatalytic, oxidative, and biological nanomaterial approaches and evaluating their efficiency and scalability for plastic pollution remediation.

2024 BENTHAM SCIENCE PUBLISHERS eBooks
Article Tier 2

Efficiency of Hybrid Materials for Photocatalytic Degradation of Micro‐ and Nano‐Plastics

Researchers reviewed how hybrid materials — combinations of multiple substances engineered at the nanoscale — can serve as highly effective photocatalysts to break down microplastics and nanoplastics using light energy. These multi-functional materials improve electron separation and reaction efficiency compared to single-component catalysts, representing a promising technological pathway for removing persistent plastic particles from the environment.

2025
Article Tier 2

Comparison of Cytotoxicityand Photocatalytic Propertiesof Iron Vanadate Nanoparticles with Commercial Catalysts: For theDegradation of Microplastics and Bacterial Inactivation Application

This study compared the cytotoxicity and photocatalytic properties of iron vanadate nanoparticles for degrading microplastics and associated antibiotic-resistant bacteria in water, finding effective photocatalytic activity under solar light that could address both plastic contamination and antimicrobial resistance simultaneously.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Nanophotocatalytic synergistic degradation of antibiotics and microplastics: Mechanisms, material design, and environmental applications

This review examines how microplastics and antibiotics interact in water during photocatalytic treatment, finding that microplastics can both help (by shuttling electrons) and hinder (by shielding light or hosting biofilms) the degradation process, depending on conditions. Aged microplastics — which have more surface oxygen groups — adsorb more antibiotics, making them tougher composite targets for treatment systems. Understanding these interactions is essential for designing water purification systems that can handle the combined pollution reality of modern waterways.

2026 Environmental Technology & Innovation