Papers

61,005 results
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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

Photocatalytic Generation of Singlet Oxygen by Graphitic Carbon Nitride for Antibacterial Applications

This study developed graphitic carbon nitride photocatalysts for generating singlet oxygen as an antimicrobial agent, evaluating their effectiveness against pathogens in water treatment and assessing potential for co-degradation of microplastics.

2024 Materials 6 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

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 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

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

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

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

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
Review Tier 2

A Review on the Use of Metal Oxide-Based Nanocomposites for the Remediation of Organics-Contaminated Water via Photocatalysis: Fundamentals, Bibliometric Study and Recent Advances

This review examines how metal oxide nanocomposite materials can be used as photocatalysts to break down toxic organic pollutants in contaminated water using light energy. While focused on cleaning up dyes, drugs, and pesticides, the technology is relevant to microplastics because similar photocatalytic approaches are being explored to degrade plastic particles in water. Improving water treatment technologies like these could help reduce human exposure to the cocktail of pollutants, including microplastics, found in water supplies.

2023 Toxics 52 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

Recent Progress in WO3-Based Photo(electro)-Catalysis Systems for Green Organic Synthesis and Wastewater Remediation: A Review

A review of WO3-based photocatalysts for breaking down organic pollutants in water assessed recent advances in their synthesis, performance, and stability. These materials are relevant to microplastic research as part of the broader toolkit for advanced water treatment targeting plastic-derived chemical contaminants.

2025 Catalysts 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Preparation of S-C3N4/AgCdS Z-Scheme Heterojunction Photocatalyst and Its Effectively Improved Photocatalytic Performance

This paper is not about microplastics. It describes the development of a photocatalyst material (S-doped carbon nitride with silver-doped cadmium sulfide) designed to degrade organic dyes like Rhodamine B and methyl orange. While photocatalytic technology could theoretically be applied to plastic degradation, this study focuses entirely on dye removal chemistry with no connection to microplastic contamination or health effects.

2024 Molecules 5 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

9 Carbon composites in the mitigation of micro and nanoplastics

This review evaluates how carbon-based composite materials — including activated carbon and graphene derivatives — can be used to remove micro- and nanoplastics from water through adsorption, chemical binding, and photocatalytic degradation. Carbon composites show strong potential as versatile remediation tools, though scaling these technologies to real-world water treatment applications remains a key challenge.

2024 2 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

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

Nanomaterial enhanced photoelectrocatalysis and photocatalysis for chemical oxygen demand sensing a comprehensive review

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research; it reviews photocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic sensors for measuring chemical oxygen demand in wastewater, focusing on nanomaterial-enhanced water quality monitoring rather than plastic particle detection.

2024 npj Clean Water 3 citations
Article Tier 2

The role and significance of graphene oxide in the remediation of micro- and nanoplastics from the environment

This review examines how graphene oxide, a carbon-based material with a very large surface area, can be used to remove microplastics and nanoplastics from water. Graphene oxide showed impressive removal capacity for polystyrene microplastics through adsorption. The technology could be an important tool for developing more effective water treatment systems that protect people from microplastic contamination.

2025 RSC Advances 6 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

First Insights into Photocatalytic Degradation of HDPE and LDPE Microplastics by a Mesoporous N–TiO2 Coating: Effect of Size and Shape of Microplastics

A nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide photocatalyst successfully degraded high-density and low-density polyethylene microplastics under visible light, with smaller particles showing greater degradation than larger ones or film-shaped particles. The study establishes a foundation for visible-light photocatalysis as a potential strategy for removing microplastics from water.

2020 Coatings 205 citations
Article Tier 2

The Chemistry of Carbon Nanotubes in Photocatalytic Degradation of Micro‐ and Nano‐Plastic

Researchers reviewed how carbon nanotubes — cylindrical structures made of carbon atoms — can be added to light-activated catalysts to dramatically improve the breakdown of microplastics and nanoplastics in water, as the nanotubes increase surface area and help separate electrical charges that drive the chemical degradation reactions.

2025
Article Tier 2

Sustainable Catalytic Processes Driven by Graphene-Based Materials

This review covers how graphene-based materials can catalyze chemical reactions relevant to sustainable production and environmental protection, including degradation of pollutants in water. While not focused on microplastics directly, graphene catalysts show promise for breaking down plastic-associated chemical contaminants.

2020 Processes 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Photocatalytic Perception for Degradation of Macro- and Micro-plastics

This review examines photocatalytic approaches for degrading both macro- and micro-plastics, surveying semiconductor-based and other photocatalytic systems capable of breaking down persistent plastic polymers in aquatic and terrestrial environments. The paper evaluates the mechanisms, efficiency, and scalability of photocatalysis as a remediation technology alongside conventional plastic waste management strategies.

2024 ACS symposium series 1 citations