Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Aggregation and stability of sulfate-modified polystyrene nanoplastics in synthetic and natural waters

Researchers studied how polystyrene nanoplastics behave in different water conditions, examining aggregation and stability under varying pH, salt types, and natural organic matter concentrations. The study found that nanoplastics remain highly stable and suspended in freshwater and even wastewater, but aggregate rapidly and settle in seawater. Natural organic matter was identified as the most significant factor affecting nanoplastic aggregation in waters with high ionic strength.

2020 Environmental Pollution 133 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanistic understanding of the aggregation kinetics of nanoplastics in marine environments: Comparing synthetic and natural water matrices

Researchers investigated aggregation kinetics of polystyrene nanoplastics in marine environments, finding that organic matter type and salt concentration strongly influenced particle stability, with nanoplastics in natural seawater aggregating differently than in synthetic matrices.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of inorganic ions and natural organic matter on the aggregation of nanoplastics

Researchers investigated how inorganic ions and natural organic matter (NOM) influence the aggregation of polystyrene nanoplastics, finding that iron ions uniquely promote aggregation while NOM can either suppress or enhance clumping depending on iron concentration, with electrostatic forces and surface chemistry governing overall particle stability.

2018 Chemosphere 245 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of environmental and biological macromolecules on aggregation kinetics of nanoplastics in aquatic systems

Researchers studied how natural macromolecules like humic acid, alginate, and proteins influence the clumping behavior of polystyrene nanoplastics in water. They found that these macromolecules generally stabilized nanoplastics in sodium chloride solutions but caused them to aggregate in calcium chloride solutions, with effects varying by pH. The findings suggest that the environmental fate and transport of nanoplastics in natural waters depends heavily on the surrounding organic molecules and water chemistry.

2020 Water Research 135 citations
Article Tier 2

Aggregation kinetics of microplastics in aquatic environment: Complex roles of electrolytes, pH, and natural organic matter

Researchers found that the aggregation behavior of polystyrene microplastics in water was strongly influenced by pH, ionic strength, and the presence of natural organic matter, with divalent cations like calcium and magnesium promoting aggregation. Understanding aggregation kinetics is critical for predicting how microplastics partition between suspended and settled states in natural water bodies.

2018 Environmental Pollution 249 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of electrolyte and natural organic matter characteristics on the aggregation and sedimentation of polystyrene nanoplastics

Researchers examined how dissolved organic matter from different water sources affects the aggregation and sedimentation of polystyrene nanoplastics under varied salt concentrations and temperatures, finding that biopolymers form a protective 'eco-corona' around particles that strongly inhibits long-term sedimentation, while temperature influences aggregation dynamics in complex ways.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 5 citations
Article Tier 2

[Effect of Water Components on Aggregation and Sedimentation of Polystyrene Nanoplastics].

Researchers investigated how sodium ions (Na+) and natural organic matter (NOM) affect the aggregation and sedimentation of polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs) in six water types including seawater, lake water, and domestic sewage. They found that Na+ concentrations below 80 mmol/L facilitated PS-NP sedimentation, while NOM effects varied by water type, with findings informing the environmental fate and distribution of nanoplastics.

2024 PubMed
Article Tier 2

Impact of water chemistry on surface charge and aggregation of polystyrene microspheres suspensions

Researchers investigated how water chemistry factors such as pH, salt concentration, and humic acid affect the surface charge and aggregation behavior of polystyrene microspheres in aqueous solutions. The study found that higher ionic strength and lower pH promoted aggregation, while humic acid stabilized the particles, suggesting that water chemistry strongly influences the environmental fate and transport of microplastics.

2018 The Science of The Total Environment 230 citations
Article Tier 2

Combined effects of photoaging and natural organic matter on the colloidal stability of nanoplastics in aquatic environments

Researchers found that photoaging of polystyrene nanoplastics alters how natural organic matter interacts with their surfaces — reducing humic acid adsorption while increasing protein adsorption — with downstream effects on the nanoplastics' stability and transport in aquatic environments.

2022 Water Research 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Understanding the stability of nanoplastics in aqueous environments: effect of ionic strength, temperature, dissolved organic matter, clay, and heavy metals

This study examined how environmental factors including ionic strength, temperature, dissolved organic matter, and clay affect the stability and aggregation of nanoplastics in water, finding that these conditions significantly influence particle behavior. Understanding nanoplastic stability is critical for predicting their fate, transport, and bioavailability in aquatic systems.

2019 Environmental Science Nano 237 citations
Article Tier 2

Aggregation kinetics of different surface-modified polystyrene nanoparticles in monovalent and divalent electrolytes

Researchers investigated how surface chemistry and morphology affect the clumping behavior (aggregation kinetics) of polystyrene nanoplastics in water, finding that surface charge and functional groups strongly govern stability, while dissolved organic matter can either inhibit or promote aggregation depending on concentration and whether mono- or divalent ions are present.

2019 Environmental Pollution 143 citations
Article Tier 2

Destabilization of photochemical weathered nanoplastics by natural organic matter in monovalent electrolyte solutions

Researchers investigated how photochemical weathering of nanoplastics alters the adsorption of natural organic matter (NOM) and subsequent colloidal stability in monovalent electrolyte solutions, comparing pristine and photoaged polystyrene nanoplastics exposed to Suwannee River NOM. They found that photoaging modified the eco-corona structure formed by NOM adsorption, destabilizing nanoplastic aggregation behavior in aquatic environments.

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

Heteroaggregation of nanoplastic particles in the presence of inorganic colloids and natural organic matter

Nanoplastics were found to heteroaggregate extensively with inorganic colloids and natural organic matter in both freshwater and marine conditions, altering their size, surface charge, and settling behavior compared to pristine particles. The study demonstrates that nanoplastic behavior in natural waters is dominated by interactions with other environmental constituents rather than the intrinsic properties of the plastic alone.

2018 Environmental Science Nano 227 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of size and surface charge on the sedimentation of nanoplastics in freshwater

Researchers investigated how size and surface charge of polystyrene nanoplastics affect their sedimentation behavior in freshwater, finding that both properties significantly influence aggregation dynamics and settling rates, with implications for predicting nanoplastic fate in aquatic environments.

2023 Chemosphere 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Stabilization of Fragmental Polystyrene Nanoplastic by Natural Organic Matter: Insight into Mechanisms

This study investigated how natural organic matter stabilizes fragmental polystyrene nanoplastics in aqueous environments, finding that humic and fulvic acid coatings reduce aggregation and enhance colloidal stability, affecting nanoplastic transport and bioavailability.

2021 ACS ES&T Water 90 citations
Article Tier 2

Aggregation and Deposition Kinetics of Polystyrene Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Aquatic Environment

Researchers measured aggregation and deposition kinetics of 50 nm and 500 nm polystyrene particles under varying ionic strength and pH conditions, finding that both particle sizes aggregated rapidly at elevated salt concentrations and that the smaller nanoplastics were more mobile in column experiments.

2021 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics are unlikely to aggregate in freshwater bodies

Researchers tested whether polystyrene nanoplastics clump together in realistic freshwater conditions and found that they remained stable and dispersed even after a week. Smaller nanoplastics were slightly less stable than larger ones in calcium-rich water, but in natural surface water, canal water, and tap water, no aggregation occurred. The findings suggest that nanoplastics are likely to remain as individual particles in freshwater bodies, which may increase their potential to spread and interact with organisms.

2024 Environmental Pollution 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Influence of protein configuration on aggregation kinetics of nanoplastics in aquatic environment

Researchers investigated how five different proteins with varying structures affect the aggregation behavior of polystyrene nanoplastics in water under different ionic strength and pH conditions. They found that protein type and configuration significantly influenced whether nanoplastics clumped together or remained dispersed, with globular proteins like albumin having different effects than fibrous proteins like collagen. The study suggests that the protein composition of natural waters plays an important role in determining how nanoplastics behave and transport in aquatic environments.

2022 Water Research 69 citations
Article Tier 2

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.

2020 Chemosphere 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Natural Organic Matter Stabilizes Pristine Nanoplastics but Destabilizes Photochemical Weathered Nanoplastics in Monovalent Electrolyte Solutions

This study examined how sunlight weathering and natural organic matter coatings change the behavior of nanoplastics in water. Researchers found that organic matter stabilizes fresh nanoplastics but actually destabilizes sun-weathered ones, meaning aged nanoplastics in natural waters may clump together and settle differently than expected, affecting where they end up in aquatic environments.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 14 citations