Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Tandem microplastic degradation and hydrogen production by hierarchical carbon nitride-supported single-atom iron catalysts

Researchers developed an iron-based catalyst that can break down polyethylene plastic — including microplastics — into smaller organic molecules while simultaneously producing hydrogen fuel from the leftover products. This two-in-one approach achieved near-complete plastic degradation under neutral water conditions, suggesting a promising path to both cleaning up plastic pollution and generating clean energy.

2024 Nature Communications 88 citations
Article Tier 2

Bimetallic defect-engineered CoMoMOF modulates CdZnS for efficient hydrogen production from water/microplastic waste

Researchers created a novel photocatalyst combining metal-defect-engineered materials to simultaneously generate hydrogen fuel and break down PET plastic waste using light energy. The system produced significantly more hydrogen using PET microplastics as a feedstock compared to water alone, suggesting plastic waste could serve as a raw material for clean energy production. This "waste to fuel" approach could address both the plastic pollution crisis and the energy transition, though it remains at an early laboratory stage.

2025 Green Chemistry 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Dual-Doped Nickel Sulfide for Electro-Upgrading Polyethylene Terephthalate into Valuable Chemicals and Hydrogen Fuel

Researchers developed a catalyst that can convert PET plastic waste into valuable chemicals and clean hydrogen fuel using electricity. By doping nickel sulfide with cobalt and chloride, they achieved high efficiency and selectivity in breaking down a key PET building block. The study demonstrates a promising approach for upcycling plastic waste into useful products rather than sending it to landfills.

2023 Nano-Micro Letters 90 citations
Article Tier 2

Emerging materials and technologies for electrocatalytic seawater splitting

This review examines technologies for splitting seawater to produce hydrogen fuel, focusing on electrode materials and device design challenges. While not related to microplastics, the research addresses renewable energy production that could reduce dependence on petroleum-based plastics by supporting a shift toward cleaner energy sources. Reducing fossil fuel use is indirectly relevant to addressing the root causes of plastic pollution.

2023 Science Advances 303 citations
Article Tier 2

Anodized TiO2 Nanotubes Sensitized with Selenium Doped CdS Nanoparticles for Solar Water Splitting

This is not about microplastics — it is a solar energy study developing TiO2 nanotube electrodes sensitized with cadmium chalcogenide nanoparticles for use in solar water-splitting (hydrogen generation) applications.

2024 Energies 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Solar-driven hydrogen evolution in alkaline seawater over earth-abundant g-C3N4/CuFeO2 heterojunction photocatalyst using microplastic as a feedstock

Researchers developed an earth-abundant photocatalyst that can produce hydrogen fuel by breaking down polyester microplastics using solar energy and seawater. The study demonstrates that this novel material achieved over 60-fold enhanced hydrogen production compared to its individual components, suggesting a promising approach for simultaneously addressing plastic pollution and sustainable energy generation.

2023 Chemical Engineering Journal 39 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanocosmos of catalysis: a voyage through synthesis, properties, and enhanced photocatalytic degradation in nickel sulfide nanocomposites

This review covers nickel sulfide nanocomposites used in photocatalysis for water purification, focusing on how modifications like doping and forming hybrid structures improve their ability to break down pollutants. These advanced materials show promise for cleaning contaminated water, which is relevant as microplastics and chemical pollutants increasingly threaten water sources.

2024 Nanoscale Advances 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Comprehensive Insights into Photoreforming of Waste Plastics for Hydrogen Production

This review examines photocatalytic "photoreforming" — a solar-powered process that breaks down waste plastics while simultaneously generating hydrogen fuel and useful chemical byproducts. Recent advances in catalyst design, including semiconductor materials and metal-organic frameworks, are analyzed alongside factors like light intensity and pH that affect hydrogen output. This dual-purpose approach could help address both the global plastic waste crisis and the need for clean energy simultaneously.

2025 Preprints.org 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Electrochemical Degradation of Plastic Waste Coupled with Hydrogen Evolution in Seawater Using Rosette‐Like High‐Entropy Oxides

Scientists developed an electrochemical method using high-entropy oxide nanosheets to break down polyglycolic acid (PGA) plastic waste while simultaneously producing hydrogen fuel from seawater. The process converts plastic-derived glycolic acid into carbonate at high efficiency while requiring significantly less energy than conventional water-splitting approaches. This dual-purpose technology offers a potential pathway for addressing plastic pollution while generating clean energy.

2025 Advanced Science 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Photoreforming of PET and PLA microplastics for sustainable hydrogen production using TiO2 and g-C3N4 photocatalysts

Researchers used photoreforming—a light-driven process—to break down PET and PLA microplastics while simultaneously generating hydrogen gas, demonstrating a dual-benefit approach that addresses plastic pollution while producing clean energy from waste plastic.

2025 Journal of environmental chemical engineering 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Electrocatalytic upcycling of polyethylene terephthalate to commodity chemicals and H2 fuel

Researchers developed an electrocatalytic process that breaks down waste PET plastic (the kind used in water bottles) into valuable chemicals and clean hydrogen fuel using a specially designed nickel-cobalt catalyst. The process achieved high efficiency at industrial-scale current densities, offering a potentially profitable way to recycle plastic waste into useful products.

2021 Nature Communications 678 citations
Article Tier 2

Eco-Friendly Solar-Powered H2 Generation from Plastic Waste Using Earth-Abundant Cu-Doped ZnS Catalysts

Plastic waste could potentially be converted into clean hydrogen fuel using sunlight and a catalyst, offering a way to both reduce plastic pollution and generate renewable energy. This study developed a copper-doped zinc sulfide photocatalyst — made from earth-abundant, non-toxic materials — that can break down plastic waste dissolved in alkaline solution under visible light, producing hydrogen gas at a promising rate. While still at the laboratory stage, solar-powered plastic-to-hydrogen conversion could eventually offer a sustainable alternative to simply landfilling or burning plastic waste.

2025 Nanomaterials 1 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

Visible Light Photocatalysis: Green Hydrogen Production

Not relevant to microplastics — this paper describes strategies for using visible-light photocatalysis to generate green hydrogen fuel from organic compounds and cellulose waste, an energy research topic unrelated to microplastic pollution.

2023 ECS Meeting Abstracts 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Activation of 2D cobalt hydroxide with 0D cobalt oxide decoration for microplastics degradation and hydrogen evolution

This dataset supports research on cobalt-based materials for degrading microplastics and generating hydrogen simultaneously. The study represents a dual-function approach to microplastic remediation that also produces clean energy.

2023 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

In-situ formation of Ag2O in metal-organic framework for light-driven upcycling of microplastics coupled with hydrogen production

Researchers developed a light-activated catalyst that can break down microplastics while simultaneously producing hydrogen gas as a clean energy byproduct, using a novel metal-organic framework material that converts plastic pollution into useful chemicals — offering a potential two-in-one solution for plastic waste and energy production.

2022 Applied Catalysis B: Environmental 143 citations
Article Tier 2

Electro-upcycling of PET plastic coupled with hydrogen production using the NiCe@NiTe electrocatalyst

Researchers coupled electrochemical PET plastic degradation with hydrogen production using a nickel-cerium telluride electrocatalyst, demonstrating that PET microplastics can be simultaneously upcycled into value-added chemicals while generating clean hydrogen fuel.

2025 Journal of Materials Chemistry A 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Enhancing nanoplastics removal and green hydrogen recovery through photovoltaic-driven hybrid electrochemical treatment of urban treated wastewater

Scientists developed a new solar-powered water treatment system that removes 92% of tiny plastic particles (nanoplastics) from wastewater while also producing clean hydrogen fuel. This is important because nanoplastics are increasingly found in our drinking water and may pose health risks, so having an effective way to remove them while creating useful energy could help protect both our health and environment. The system works like getting two benefits for the price of one – cleaner water and renewable fuel from the same process.

2026 Chemical Engineering Journal
Article Tier 2

Advancements in Seawater Electrocatalysis for Renewable Energy Conversion and Resource Extraction

This review covers recent advances in seawater electrocatalysis for renewable energy conversion and resource extraction, focusing on hydrogen production, oxygen reduction, and mineral recovery from ocean water. The authors assess key challenges including chloride interference and electrode stability that must be overcome before seawater electrocatalysis can compete with freshwater-based systems.

2025 ChemElectroChem 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Advancing strategies on green H2 production via water electrocatalysis: bridging the benchtop research with industrial scale-up

This review examines current strategies for producing clean hydrogen through water electrolysis, focusing on the most mature approach using alkaline water electrolysis. Researchers highlight the potential of non-noble metal catalysts to reduce costs while discussing remaining challenges such as low current density and corrosive electrolytes. The study underscores the need for continued improvements in electrocatalyst efficiency and stability to make large-scale green hydrogen production practical.

2024 Microstructures 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Activation of 2D cobalt hydroxide with 0D cobalt oxide decoration for microplastics degradation and hydrogen evolution

Researchers created a new photocatalyst by combining two forms of cobalt — cobalt oxide particles on cobalt hydroxide sheets — that can both break down polystyrene microplastics and split water to produce hydrogen fuel using visible light. This dual-function material, which degrades 40% of polystyrene under mild LED lighting, points to a strategy for simultaneously addressing plastic pollution and clean energy production.

2023 Chemical Engineering Journal 18 citations
Article Tier 2

The current status of hydrogen energy: an overview

This review covers the current state of hydrogen energy as a clean fuel alternative, including production methods, storage, and transportation. While not directly related to microplastics, the shift away from fossil fuels to hydrogen energy could reduce the production of petroleum-based plastics, which are the primary source of microplastic pollution.

2023 RSC Advances 183 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent advances in hydrogen production using MXenes-based metal sulfide photocatalysts

This review examines recent advances in MXene-based metal sulfide photocatalysts for hydrogen production via photocatalytic water splitting, highlighting the unique properties of MXenes including tunable bandgaps, high electrical conductivity, large surface area, and photo-thermal effects that make them promising noble metal-free photocatalyst supports. The review covers four years of progress in MAX phase synthesis and new MXene derivatives developed for visible-light-driven hydrogen evolution.

2022 Synthesis and Sintering 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Catalytic transformation of microplastics to functional carbon for catalytic peroxymonosulfate activation: Conversion mechanism and defect of scavenging

Researchers developed a method to convert high-density polyethylene plastic waste into functional carbon materials that can activate peroxymonosulfate to break down organic pollutants in water. Using a salt template-based approach with nickel chloride, they produced carbon nanosheets with high catalytic efficiency. The study demonstrates a promising approach for upcycling plastic waste into useful water purification catalysts.

2023 Applied Catalysis B: Environmental 51 citations