Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Aggregation kinetics of UV irradiated nanoplastics in aquatic environments

Researchers compared the aggregation behavior of fresh versus UV-aged polystyrene nanoplastics under various aquatic conditions. They found that UV aging altered the surface chemistry of nanoplastics, making them more stable in water and less likely to aggregate, which means they could remain suspended and bioavailable for longer periods. The study suggests that weathered nanoplastics may behave very differently from fresh particles in the environment, complicating risk assessments.

2019 Water Research 214 citations
Article Tier 2

UV/ozone induced physicochemical transformations of polystyrene nanoparticles and their aggregation tendency and kinetics with natural organic matter in aqueous systems

Researchers weathered polystyrene nanoparticles with UV light and ozone and then tested their aggregation behavior in waters containing humic acid, lysozyme, and alginate, finding that weathering-induced oxygen-containing surface groups significantly altered aggregation kinetics in ways strongly dependent on which organic molecules were present.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials 50 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

Aggregation behavior of polystyrene nanoplastics: Role of surface functional groups and protein and electrolyte variation

Researchers studied how different surface coatings on polystyrene nanoplastics affect their tendency to clump together in water containing proteins and salts. They found that the type of surface functional group significantly changed how the particles aggregated, with proteins and electrolytes playing important roles in the process. The study helps explain how nanoplastics behave and transform as they move through natural water systems.

2023 Chemosphere 28 citations
Article Tier 2

UV-weathering affects heteroaggregation and subsequent sedimentation of polystyrene microplastic particles with ferrihydrite

Researchers studied how UV weathering alters the heteroaggregation and sedimentation behaviour of 1-micrometre polystyrene microplastic particles with ferrihydrite (an iron oxy-hydroxide common in natural waters). They found that UV weathering changed the surface charge and properties of polystyrene particles, significantly affecting their aggregation with ferrihydrite at neutral pH and their subsequent removal from the water column by sedimentation.

2024
Article Tier 2

UV-weathering affects heteroaggregation and subsequent sedimentation of polystyrene microplastic particles with ferrihydrite

UV weathering of polystyrene microplastics significantly altered their surface properties, increasing heteroaggregation with ferrihydrite iron colloids and accelerating particle sedimentation compared to pristine PS—demonstrating that environmental weathering substantially changes microplastic fate and removal in aquatic systems.

2025 Environmental Science Processes & Impacts 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of UV-exposure on size, morphology, and chemical structure of polystyrene nanospheres in suspension

Researchers investigated how UV exposure changes the size, morphology, and chemical structure of polystyrene nanospheres in suspension, simulating environmental weathering of nanoplastics. The study characterized how UV aging alters particle properties in ways relevant to their biological and environmental fate.

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

Photoaging alters the aggregation behavior of functionalized nanoplastics differently: effects of leached organic matter and surface properties changes

This study found that UV photoaging of nanoplastics changes their surface chemistry and causes them to release organic compounds, but the downstream effect on how particles clump together (aggregation) differs markedly depending on what chemical groups are on the particle surface. This matters because aggregation behaviour controls whether nanoplastics sink or stay suspended in water, affecting which organisms are exposed and how far the particles travel.

2026 Environmental Science Nano
Article Tier 2

Fate of polystyrene and polyethylene nanoplastics exposed to UV in water

Researchers found that UV irradiation progressively degrades polystyrene and polyethylene nanoplastics dispersed in water, causing them to become porous, fragment, and ultimately degrade completely, revealing the photochemical fate of nanoplastics in sunlit aquatic environments.

2023 Environmental Science Nano 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Photoaging-induced variations in heteroaggregation of nanoplastics and suspended sediments in aquatic environments: A case study on nanopolystyrene

Researchers investigated how photoaging affects the aggregation behavior of polystyrene nanoplastics with suspended sediments in water. They found that 30 days of photoaging retarded aggregation in sodium chloride solutions due to steric hindrance from leached organic matter, but promoted aggregation in calcium chloride solutions through calcium bridging of newly formed oxygen-containing surface groups. The study provides mechanistic insights into how environmental weathering changes the transport and fate of nanoplastics in aquatic systems.

2024 Water Research 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of CeO2 nanoparticles on the aggregation kinetics and stability of polystyrene nanoplastics: Importance of surface functionalization and solution chemistry

Researchers used time-resolved dynamic light scattering to investigate how cerium dioxide nanoparticles influence the aggregation and stability of differently surface-functionalized polystyrene nanoplastics across multiple water chemistries. Results showed that CeO2 nanoparticles promoted heteroaggregation with nanoplastics, with natural organic matter and ionic strength modulating aggregate formation and the environmental mobility of nanoplastics.

2020 Water Research 108 citations
Article Tier 2

Aggregation kinetics and stability of biodegradable nanoplastics in aquatic environments: Effects of UV-weathering and proteins

Researchers investigated the aggregation behavior of biodegradable nanoplastics (PBAT) in aquatic environments, finding that UV weathering and protein presence significantly alter their colloidal stability and aggregation kinetics, which influences their environmental fate and transport.

2023 Water Research 49 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of UV-exposure on size, morphology, and chemical structure of polystyrene nanospheres in suspension

Researchers studied how UV exposure alters the size, morphology, and chemical structure of polystyrene nanospheres in suspension, providing mechanistic insight into nanoplastic weathering. The results showed that UV irradiation progressively changes particle surface chemistry and size distribution in ways relevant to environmental fate and toxicity.

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

ROS-mediated photoaging pathways of nano- and micro-plastic particles under UV irradiation

Researchers investigated the role of reactive oxygen species in the photoaging of nano- and micro-plastic particles under UV irradiation. The study found that bare polystyrene nanoparticles generated hydroxyl radicals and singlet oxygen, while surface coatings and larger particle sizes reduced ROS generation. The findings help explain the mechanisms by which UV exposure breaks down plastic particles in aquatic environments.

2022 Water Research 226 citations
Article Tier 2

Thermodynamic investigation of nanoplastic aggregation in aquatic environments

Researchers used isothermal titration calorimetry combined with time-resolved dynamic light scattering to investigate the thermodynamics of polystyrene nanoplastic aggregation in aquatic environments, finding that solvation entropy was a major determinant of aggregation behavior and that stability in natural water was correlated with ionic strength and the presence of metal oxides and clay colloids.

2022 Water Research 15 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

Swelling-Induced Fragmentation and Polymer Leakage of Nanoplastics in Seawater

Researchers tracked polystyrene nanoplastics in seawater over 29 days under simulated sunlight and found that light accelerates aggregation, while also inducing swelling and fragmentation of particles and leaching of polymer components, complicating predictions of nanoplastic fate and risk in marine environments.

2022 Environmental Science & Technology 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigation of Surface Alteration of Microplastics by Using UV Irradiation

UV radiation causes polystyrene and other plastic microparticles to undergo photooxidative degradation, changing their surface chemistry and potentially making them more likely to adsorb or release chemical pollutants. Understanding these weathering processes is important for predicting the environmental behavior and toxicity of microplastics.

2020 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Aquatic behavior and toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastic particles with different functional groups: Complex roles of pH, dissolved organic carbon and divalent cations

Researchers systematically examined how water chemistry — pH, dissolved organic carbon, and divalent calcium and magnesium ions — affects the stability, aggregation, and toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics with different surface functional groups, finding that complex solution conditions enhanced aggregation through cation bridging and increased oxidative gut damage in Daphnia magna.

2019 Chemosphere 128 citations
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