Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

The Challenge of the Analysis of Nanoplastics in the Environment: Current Status and Perspectives

This review examines the analytical challenges of detecting and characterising nanoplastics in environmental samples, presenting the state of the art in size determination, chemical composition analysis, and quantification techniques, as well as a survey of nanoplastic model materials used in the literature.

2022
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics: From Separations to Analysis—Challenges and Limitations

This review examines the challenges of analyzing nanoplastics in environmental samples, from sample preparation to identification. Researchers found that techniques commonly used for larger microplastics are often ineffective for nanoplastics, and that isolating these tiny particles from complex environmental samples remains a major technical hurdle. The study summarizes the advantages and limitations of current microscopic, spectroscopic, and thermal analysis methods and calls for standardized approaches.

2025 Separations 9 citations
Article Tier 2

New Analytical Approaches for Effective Quantification and Identification of Nanoplastics in Environmental Samples

This review assessed new analytical approaches for quantifying and identifying nanoplastics in environmental samples, highlighting fundamental challenges in detection due to their small size and the need for improved methods to understand nanoplastic contamination levels.

2021 Processes 31 citations
Article Tier 2

A review on occurrence, characteristics, toxicology and treatment of nanoplastic waste in the environment

This review summarizes the current understanding of nanoplastic pollution, including sources, occurrence in water, soil, and air, and potential toxicity to aquatic and terrestrial organisms. The study highlights major gaps in analytical methods for detecting nanoplastics and calls for more research on their environmental fate and health effects.

2021 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 56 citations
Article Tier 2

The Emerging of Microplastic and Nanoplastic as Pollutants and their Characterization and Analysis

This review presents an integrated approach to sampling, sample preparation, and analytical methods for detecting microplastics and nanoplastics in solid and aqueous environmental samples, discussing current challenges and emerging methodologies for more accurate characterization.

2023 Brazilian Journal of Analytical Chemistry 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Advancements in environmental nanoplastics research

This review synthesises advances in environmental nanoplastics research, discussing distinctions between nanoplastics and microplastics in physicochemical properties, limitations in current analytical methods for environmental samples, and gaps between laboratory exposure studies and real-world concentrations. The authors highlight emerging evidence of nanoplastics in human organs and excretions and argue that methodological breakthroughs will usher in a 'nano era' of plastic pollution research.

2025 Chinese Science Bulletin (Chinese Version)
Article Tier 2

Separation, characterization and identification of microplastics and nanoplastics in the environment

This review evaluates the various analytical techniques used to separate, characterize, and identify microplastics and nanoplastics in environmental samples. Researchers compared the strengths and weaknesses of different methods including spectroscopy, microscopy, and thermal analysis approaches. The study highlights the need for standardized procedures and emerging detection tools to improve our understanding of microplastic contamination and its ecological impacts.

2020 The Science of The Total Environment 331 citations
Article Tier 2

Methods for Micro‐ and Nanoplastics Analysis

This review examines analytical methods for detecting, identifying, and quantifying micro- and nanoplastics across terrestrial, aquatic, and atmospheric environments, evaluating identification and quantification techniques as prerequisites for effective remediation of these pervasive contaminants.

2024 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Searching Nanoplastics: From Sampling to Sample Processing

This review addresses the challenges of sampling and processing nanoplastics from environmental matrices, discussing how their infinitesimal size and physical diversity complicate detection, characterization, and quantification efforts.

2021 Polymers 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Analytical methods and environmental processes of nanoplastics

This review examined current analytical methods for extracting, separating, identifying, and quantifying nanoplastics in environmental matrices, and summarized knowledge on their fate and transport pathways in the environment. The authors identified key gaps including detection limits too high to measure ultralow nanoplastic concentrations and an over-reliance on spherical polystyrene models that fail to represent the irregular shapes found in nature.

2020 Journal of Environmental Sciences 101 citations
Article Tier 2

Chemical Analysis of Microplastics and Nanoplastics: Challenges, Advanced Methods, and Perspectives

This review covers the latest laboratory methods for detecting and measuring microplastics and nanoplastics in environmental samples like water, food, and air. Identifying these tiny particles is extremely challenging because they vary enormously in size, shape, and plastic type, and concentrations can differ by billions of times between samples. Better standardized detection methods are essential for accurately understanding how much microplastic humans are actually exposed to.

2021 Chemical Reviews 927 citations
Article Tier 2

A review on analytical performance of micro- and nanoplastics analysis methods

This review evaluated the analytical methods currently available for detecting and measuring micro- and nanoplastics in various environments. Researchers compared techniques based on their accuracy, sensitivity, and practical limitations, noting that particle size and the complexity of the surrounding material significantly affect method performance. The study identifies key challenges and provides guidance on selecting appropriate analytical approaches for different types of plastic pollution research.

2023 Arabian Journal of Chemistry 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro/nano-plastics occurrence, identification, risk analysis and mitigation: challenges and perspectives

This review provides a comprehensive overview of micro- and nanoplastic pollution, covering their sources, occurrence in different environments, identification methods, and potential risks to ecosystems and human health. Researchers examined current analytical techniques and found significant gaps in the ability to detect and quantify the smallest plastic particles. The study outlines mitigation strategies including improved waste management, advanced filtration, and biodegradable alternatives.

2022 Reviews in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology 233 citations
Article Tier 2

Quantifying micro- and nanoplastics

This work addresses methodological approaches for quantifying micro- and nanoplastics in environmental samples, examining analytical techniques, sampling strategies, and measurement challenges. The publication is part of the international research literature on standardizing plastic particle detection and quantification methods.

2024 SPIRE - Sciences Po Institutional REpository
Article Tier 2

A physical chemistry lens on environmental nanoplastics analysis challenges. Part II: detection techniques – principles, limitations and future directions

A physical chemistry perspective examined the analytical challenges of measuring environmental nanoplastics, arguing that standard methods often miss or mischaracterize the smallest particles. The paper calls for improved analytical frameworks to better understand nanoplastic behavior and biological risks.

2025 Environmental Science Nano 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Current techniques for identifying, quantifying, and characterizing micro and nanoplastics with emphasis on strengths, limitations, and challenges

Researchers reviewed current analytical techniques for identifying, quantifying, and characterizing micro- and nanoplastics across environmental matrices. The review highlights the strengths and limitations of methods including FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, and pyrolysis-GC/MS, and calls for standardization to improve comparability across studies.

2025 Discover Environment
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics in the soil environment: Analytical methods, occurrence, fate and ecological implications

This review covered analytical methods, occurrence data, environmental fate, and ecotoxicological effects of nanoplastics in soils, finding that nanoplastics can alter soil chemistry, physical structure, and biota in ways that threaten both natural and agricultural ecosystem functions. The authors identify standardization of nanoplastic detection in soil as a critical research gap.

2022 Environmental Pollution 73 citations
Article Tier 2

Separation and Analysis of Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Complex Environmental Samples

This review examined separation and analysis methods for microplastics and nanoplastics in complex environmental samples, covering density separation, filtration, spectroscopic identification, and emerging approaches for sub-micron particles. The authors identify detection of nanoplastics as a critical unresolved methodological challenge for understanding full plastic contamination in the environment.

2019 Accounts of Chemical Research 671 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics in aquatic environments: Origin, separation and characterization: Review

This review covers the origins, separation methods, and characterization of nanoplastics in aquatic environments. Nanoplastics (1–100 nm) are particularly concerning because their tiny size gives them a large surface area for adsorbing pollutants and allows them to penetrate biological barriers more easily than larger microplastics.

2023 Tehnika
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics: Detection and impacts in aquatic environments – A review

This review examined nanoplastic detection methods and their impacts in aquatic environments, concluding that current analytical capabilities severely underestimate nanoplastic exposure levels due to the difficulty of detecting sub-micron particles. The authors called for standardized nanoplastic detection protocols to enable meaningful risk assessment.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 69 citations
Article Tier 2

Challenges and Recent Analytical Advances in Micro/Nanoplastic Detection

This review covers the challenges scientists face in detecting and measuring micro- and nanoplastics in the environment, especially for particles smaller than one micrometer. Current analytical methods have significant limitations for identifying nanoplastics due to their extremely small size and diverse chemical compositions. Improving detection technology is essential for accurately assessing how much microplastic contamination exists in water, food, and human tissues.

2024 Analytical Chemistry 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastics (NPs): Environmental Presence, Ecological Implications, and Mitigation Approaches

This review examines the sources, environmental pathways, and ecological effects of nanoplastics across terrestrial, aquatic, and atmospheric ecosystems. Researchers highlight challenges with detection and quantification and evaluate mitigation approaches including filtration, adsorption, and membrane bioreactors. The study emphasizes the need for stronger regulations, improved monitoring techniques, and engineering solutions to address the serious ecological problems posed by nanoplastics.

2025 Microplastics 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Physicochemical characterization and quantification of nanoplastics: applicability, limitations and complementarity of batch and fractionation methods

Researchers evaluated a suite of techniques for measuring the size, shape, and chemical makeup of nanoplastics — plastic particles smaller than 1 micrometer — and found that no single method works for all sample types, especially when particles vary in size or clump together. Combining multiple complementary techniques is essential for reliable nanoplastic characterization, particularly in complex environmental or biological samples.

2023 Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 56 citations
Article Tier 2

Sampling, separation, and characterization methodology for quantification of microplastic from the environment

This review summarizes the various methods scientists use to collect, prepare, and identify microplastics from soil, water, air, and living organisms, noting that current techniques are complex, inconsistent across studies, and cannot yet identify microplastics without removing them from their environment. Better standardized methods are needed to accurately measure human and environmental exposure to microplastics.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 62 citations