Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Fish Gill-Inspired Bidirectional Porous Polysaccharide Aerogels for Micro/Nanoplastics Removal

Researchers developed a fish gill-inspired bidirectional porous aerogel made from chitosan and other polysaccharides for removing micro- and nanoplastics from water. The biomimetic structure allowed efficient capture of plastic particles across a wide size range while maintaining good water flow. The study presents a sustainable filtration approach using biodegradable materials that could address the challenge of removing tiny plastic particles from freshwater systems.

2025 ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Coral-inspired environmental durability aerogels for micron-size plastic particles removal in the aquatic environment

Researchers developed a coral-inspired polydopamine-enhanced magnetic cellulose aerogel for removing micron-sized microplastic particles from water, mimicking corals' active adsorption and passive adhesion mechanisms to achieve effective microplastic capture.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 127 citations
Article Tier 2

Degradable quaternary ammonium salt-modified rice straw cellulose/chitosan composite aerogel for high-efficiency microplastic adsorption

Researchers created a quaternary ammonium salt-modified cellulose/chitosan composite aerogel from discarded rice straw and tested it for microplastic adsorption, achieving high removal efficiency and capacity while using a waste-based feedstock to address an emerging pollution problem.

2025 International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Biobased Composite Aerogels for Efficient Flow-Through Capture of Nanoplastics via Multimodal Interfacial Interactions

Scientists created a new sponge-like filter made from natural materials that can remove nearly 100% of tiny plastic particles from water. These nanoplastics are so small they're invisible to the naked eye but pose potential health risks when they get into drinking water. The filter works efficiently with very little energy, offering a promising way to clean up water contaminated with plastic pollution.

2026 ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
Article Tier 2

Mucin-Inspired Thermogels for Programmable Nanoplastic Removal in Water Purification

Researchers developed mucin-inspired amphiphilic bottlebrush copolymers that self-assemble into thermogels in water and reversibly capture nanoplastics, demonstrating a programmable, jellyfish-inspired filtration approach for removing nanoscale plastic particles from aquatic environments.

2025
Article Tier 2

Efficient microplastics adsorption in aqueous environments via bidirectional ordered graphene oxide/nanocellulose aerogels

Researchers developed a new material made from graphene oxide and nanocellulose that can effectively remove microplastics from water. The aerogel absorbed up to 241 milligrams of microplastics per gram of material and maintained over 80% efficiency after 20 reuse cycles. This kind of reusable filter technology could help reduce the amount of microplastics reaching drinking water sources and the food chain.

2024 International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Synergistic Microplastics Capture and Bacterial Inhibition by a Cationic COF‐Reinforced Chitosan/Tannic Acid Aerogel

Researchers developed a cationic covalent organic framework aerogel made from chitosan and tannic acid that effectively captures microplastics from water while also inhibiting bacteria. The study suggests this low-cost, monolithic aerogel overcomes the limitations of powdered materials and offers a practical, convenient approach for microplastic removal from contaminated water.

2026 Advanced Functional Materials
Article Tier 2

A Chitosan Nanofiber Sponge for Oyster-Inspired Filtration of Microplastics

An ultralight chitosan nanofiber sponge was developed as a filtration material for removing microplastics from water, inspired by oyster filtration biology, and demonstrated high removal efficiency for polystyrene microplastics in lab tests while being biodegradable and made from renewable chitosan feedstock.

2021 ACS Applied Polymer Materials 66 citations
Article Tier 2

A layer-by-layer assembled superhydrophobic composite aerogel for rapid and high-capacity removal of microplastics from beverages

A superhydrophobic composite aerogel was synthesized using a layer-by-layer strategy combining an "egg-box" cellulose nanofiber network with silicone polymers, achieving an impressive polystyrene microplastic adsorption capacity of 555.5 mg/g within 100 minutes—driven primarily by hydrophobic interactions—and demonstrating high stability and reusability for microplastic removal from beverages.

2025 Materials Horizons 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Aerogels Fabricated from Wood-Derived Functional Cellulose Nanofibrils for Highly Efficient Separation of Microplastics

Researchers developed aerogel filters from chemically modified wood-derived cellulose nanofibrils that achieved up to 100% efficiency in removing polystyrene microplastics from water. The aerogels captured microplastics through a combination of physical entrapment, electrostatic interaction, and hydrogen bonding, and maintained their effectiveness over eight filtration cycles. The study demonstrates a promising green technology using sustainable materials for addressing microplastic pollution in aquatic environments.

2023 ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microcrystalline cellulose on some performance properties of chitosan aerogels

Researchers developed bio-based aerogels from chitosan reinforced with microcrystalline cellulose, testing their physical and mechanical properties. This work explores sustainable, biodegradable materials that could reduce reliance on conventional petroleum-based plastics.

2021 Maderas Ciencia y tecnología 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Biowaste derived sustainable carbon aerogels/polyvinylidene fluoride composites for effective removal of organic pollutants/oils

Researchers created carbon aerogel composites from biological waste combined with a fluorinated polymer to remove oil spills and organic pollutants from water. The sustainable, low-cost material showed strong performance for environmental cleanup applications, including potential use in addressing plastic-associated contamination.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Rapid adsorption of directional cellulose nanofibers/3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane/polyethyleneimine aerogels on microplastics in water

Researchers developed a cellulose nanofiber aerogel modified with polyethyleneimine for rapidly adsorbing microplastics from water. The study found that the aerogel reached adsorption equilibrium within just 20 minutes and followed established kinetic and isotherm models. These findings suggest that modified cellulose-based aerogels could serve as effective, green materials for removing microplastic contamination from water bodies.

2023 International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 69 citations
Article Tier 2

Emerging Porous Materials for Adsorptive Removal of Microplastics and Nanoplastics from Aquatic Environments: A Review

This review summarizes recent advances in using porous materials, including sponges, aerogels, hydrogels, metal-organic frameworks, and carbon-based adsorbents, to remove microplastics and nanoplastics from water. Researchers found that adsorption using these materials is a promising, cost-effective approach that outperforms conventional water treatment methods for plastic particle removal. The study identifies key challenges and future research directions for developing practical adsorbents for real-world plastic pollution mitigation.

2025 ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 1 citations
Article Tier 2

High-performance amino-crosslinked phosphorylated microcrystalline cellulose/MoS2 hybrid aerogel for polystyrene nanoplastics removal from aqueous environments

Researchers fabricated a porous aerogel from phosphorylated cellulose and molybdenum disulfide nanosheets functionalized with polyethyleneimine and showed it removes carboxyl-modified polystyrene nanoplastics from water with an adsorption capacity of 402 mg/g, maintaining performance across a range of water chemistries and remaining reusable after multiple cycles.

2025 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Nature-derived hydrogel for microplastic removal

Scientists developed a nature-based hydrogel made from chitin and lignin that can remove nanoplastics from wastewater with very high efficiency, absorbing up to 1,791 milligrams of plastic per gram of material. This sustainable, reusable filter could help reduce the amount of tiny plastic particles that reach drinking water and ultimately the human body.

2025 Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Multifunctional sodium alginate/chitosan-modified graphene oxide reinforced membrane for simultaneous removal of nanoplastics, emulsified oil, and dyes in water

Researchers developed a bioinspired three-layer membrane using sodium alginate, graphene oxide, and chitosan that removed over 99% of nanoplastics, emulsified oil, and dyes from water simultaneously, with excellent stability in extreme pH conditions and good recyclability.

2023 International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Biodegradable taro stem cellulose aerogel: A simple approach for adsorbing microplastics and dyestuffs contaminants

Scientists created a biodegradable aerogel from waste taro stems that can effectively absorb both microplastics and dye pollutants from water. The material maintained strong performance across different water conditions and could be reused for at least five cycles, offering a green solution for removing multiple contaminants from water simultaneously.

2024 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of nanoplastics from aquatic environments using graphene oxide/chitosan sponges

Researchers developed a three-dimensional porous graphene oxide/chitosan sponge with an average pore size of 21.67 µm and evaluated its effectiveness in removing polystyrene nanoplastics (31.1 nm diameter) from aqueous solutions.

2025 Journal of Environmental Management
Article Tier 2

Compression‐Triggered Instantaneous Nanoplastic Release From Dynamic Hydrogen‐Bonded LDH@Cellulose Semi‐Flexible Micro‐Nano Aerogel for Sustainable Water Remediation

Researchers developed a flexible aerogel material made from modified cellulose and layered double hydroxide that can adsorb nanoplastics from water at extremely high capacity and then rapidly release them in seconds when squeezed — far faster regeneration than conventional filters. The material maintained strong performance over 100 compression cycles, suggesting it could be a practical tool for removing nanoplastics from drinking water and wastewater at scale.

2026 Advanced Functional Materials
Article Tier 2

Cellulose aerogels in water pollution treatment: Preparation, applications and mechanism

This review explores how cellulose aerogels, derived from the most abundant natural polymer on Earth, can be used to treat water pollution including microplastic contamination. Researchers found that these biodegradable materials offer a promising sustainable alternative for water treatment due to their unique porous structure, high surface area, and ease of functionalization.

2025 Advanced bionics. 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Mucin-Inspired Thermogels for Programmable Nanoplastic Removal in Water Purification

Researchers developed mucin-inspired amphiphilic bottlebrush copolymers that form thermally responsive hydrogels capable of capturing nanoplastics from water, achieving removal efficiencies of 68–100% for polystyrene nanoparticles (20–1,000 nm), with a reversible gel-syneresis cycle enabling both passive filtration and particle recovery for trace analysis.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Mucin-Inspired Thermogels for Programmable Nanoplastic Removal in Water Purification

Researchers developed mucin-inspired amphiphilic bottlebrush copolymers that form thermally responsive hydrogels capable of capturing nanoplastics from water, achieving removal efficiencies of 68–100% for polystyrene nanoparticles (20–1,000 nm), with a reversible gel-syneresis cycle enabling both passive filtration and particle recovery for trace analysis.

2026 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Mucin-Inspired Thermogels for Programmable Nanoplastic Removal in Water Purification

Researchers developed mucin-inspired amphiphilic bottlebrush copolymers that self-assemble into micelles and undergo reversible temperature-triggered sol-gel-syneresis transitions to capture nanoplastics from water, achieving removal efficiencies of 68-100% for polystyrene nanoplastics (20-1000 nm) and recovery efficiencies up to 61% for downstream analysis.

2025