Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Insights into the interaction of microplastic with silver nanoparticles in natural surface water

Researchers co-exposed three common microplastics — polypropylene, polyethylene, and polystyrene — with silver nanoparticles in natural freshwater and brackish water, finding that their interaction altered the environmental behavior and fate of both contaminants. The results suggest that combined pollution from microplastics and nanomaterials produces effects distinct from either pollutant alone.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 26 citations
Article Tier 2

The crucial role of heavy metals on the interaction of engineered nanoparticles with polystyrene microplastics

This study examined how heavy metals affect the interaction between engineered nanoparticles and polystyrene microplastics in multi-solute aquatic systems, finding that heavy metal ions alter nanoparticle uptake onto microplastic surfaces and complicate toxicological predictions.

2021 Water Research 62 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene microplastics sunlight-induce oxidative dissolution, chemical transformation and toxicity enhancement of silver nanoparticles

Researchers discovered that polystyrene microplastics can induce sunlight-driven oxidative dissolution and chemical transformation of silver nanoparticles, enhancing their toxicity and revealing important implications for how co-occurring pollutants interact in the environment.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of size and surface charge on the sedimentation of nanoplastics in freshwater

Researchers investigated how size and surface charge of polystyrene nanoplastics affect their sedimentation behavior in freshwater, finding that both properties significantly influence aggregation dynamics and settling rates, with implications for predicting nanoplastic fate in aquatic environments.

2023 Chemosphere 17 citations
Article Tier 2

Polystyrene nanoplastics and wastewater displayed antagonistic toxic effects due to the sorption of wastewater micropollutants

Researchers found that polystyrene nanoplastics and wastewater micropollutants had antagonistic toxic effects when combined, because the nanoplastics sorbed positively charged pollutants through electrostatic interactions, reducing their bioavailability to aquatic organisms.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Mechanism of low concentrations of polystyrene microplastics influence the cytotoxicity of Ag ions to Escherichia coli

Low concentrations of polystyrene microplastics had minimal direct toxicity to E. coli but dynamically modulated the toxicity of silver ions, initially protecting bacteria by shielding cell membranes and later intensifying toxicity by promoting reactive oxygen species generation depending on the plastic's surface charge. The study highlights the complexity of predicting combined microplastic and metal toxicity in aquatic ecosystems.

2020 Chemosphere 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Interfacial interaction between micro/nanoplastics and typical PPCPs and nanoplastics removal via electrosorption from an aqueous solution

Researchers synthesized nanoscale polystyrene particles and investigated how they adsorb common pharmaceuticals and personal care products, specifically ciprofloxacin and bisphenol A. The study also explored electrosorption as a method for removing nanoplastics from water, providing insights into both the environmental behavior of nanoplastics and potential remediation strategies.

2020 Water Research 282 citations
Article Tier 2

Antagonistic effect of polystyrene nanoplastics and sliver nanoparticles on Chlorella pyrenoidosa

Researchers tested antagonistic interactions between polystyrene nanoplastics and silver nanoparticles on the freshwater green alga Chlorella, finding that combined exposure produced less toxicity than either agent alone, suggesting that plastic particles can sequester silver nanoparticles and reduce their bioavailability.

2025 Journal of Environmental Sciences
Article Tier 2

Mechanistic Roles of Microplastics in the Phototransformation of Silver Ions in Aquatic Environments

This study found that polystyrene microplastics mediate the transformation of silver ions into silver nanoparticles (Ag0, Ag2O, Ag2S) under natural and UV light irradiation, acting as reactive surfaces that alter silver speciation and potentially increase its bioavailability in aquatic systems.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics alleviate phytotoxicity of silver nanoparticles in Ottelia cordata submerged leaves

Researchers investigated the combined effects of silver nanoparticles and polystyrene microplastics on the aquatic plant Ottelia cordata, finding that microplastics actually alleviated the phytotoxicity of silver nanoparticles by reducing their bioavailability. The results highlight complex antagonistic interactions between co-occurring aquatic contaminants.

2025 Aquatic Toxicology
Article Tier 2

The difference of aggregation mechanism between microplastics and nanoplastics: Role of Brownian motion and structural layer force

The aggregation mechanisms of 100-nm and 1-micrometer polystyrene particles were compared under different water chemistry conditions to understand how microplastics and nanoplastics behave differently in aquatic environments. The study found distinct aggregation pathways between the two size classes, driven by differences in electrostatic forces and surface properties.

2020 Environmental Pollution 126 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption behavior of triclosan on polystyrene nanoplastics: The roles of particle size, surface functionalization, and environmental factors

Researchers examined how triclosan, an antimicrobial compound common in personal care products, adsorbs onto polystyrene nanoplastics of different sizes and surface chemistries, finding that smaller particles and functionalized surfaces (with carboxyl or amine groups) bind more triclosan, with pH and salinity further modulating uptake — suggesting nanoplastics can serve as mobile carriers for this contaminant.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoplastic adsorption characteristics of bisphenol A: The roles of pH, metal ions, and suspended sediments

Researchers found that nanoplastics adsorb bisphenol A through electrostatic, pi-pi stacking, and hydrophobic interactions, with adsorption capacity influenced by pH, competing metal ions, and suspended sediments, highlighting nanoplastics as vectors for BPA transport in aquatic environments.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Data acquired in laboratory experiments conducted to characterize Ag bioaccumulation kinetics in Daphnia magna after exposures to polystyrene microplastics and Ag nanoparticles

Researchers assessed how the presence of polystyrene microplastics affects the bioaccumulation of silver nanoparticles in the filter-feeding zooplankton Daphnia magna. The study provides laboratory data on silver uptake kinetics at environmentally relevant concentrations, contributing to understanding how microplastics may interact with other contaminants to alter their biological availability to aquatic organisms.

2026 USGS DOI Tool Production Environment
Article Tier 2

Critical review of the characteristics, interactions, and toxicity of micro/nanomaterials pollutants in aquatic environments

This review examined the behavior, interactions, and toxicity of micro- and nanoplastics alongside metal nanoparticles in aquatic environments. Researchers found that these pollutants interact in complex ways that can affect organisms, and the study also explored how metal nanoparticles could potentially be used to remove microplastics from water due to their photocatalytic and magnetic properties.

2022 Marine Pollution Bulletin 68 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of particle size and solution chemistry on Triclosan sorption on polystyrene microplastic

Researchers characterized how the antimicrobial compound triclosan adsorbs onto polystyrene microplastics, finding that sorption is driven primarily by hydrophobic interactions and is highest at acidic pH, while temperature, ionic strength, and co-occurring heavy metals had little effect — suggesting polystyrene acts as an environmental carrier for triclosan.

2019 Chemosphere 206 citations
Article Tier 2

Interactionsbetween Nanoplastics and Antibiotics:Implications for Nanoplastics Aggregation in Aquatic Environments

Researchers studied how the antibiotics ciprofloxacin and tetracycline interact with polystyrene nanoplastics in aquatic environments, finding that these drugs alter nanoplastic surface properties and aggregation behavior under environmentally relevant conditions.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Weathered Microplastics Induce Silver Nanoparticle Formation

Researchers found that weathered polystyrene microplastics can photochemically reduce dissolved silver ions to metallic silver nanoparticles in both freshwater and sand matrices under solar irradiation, revealing a previously unknown mechanism by which microplastics alter the chemical speciation of co-occurring metal contaminants.

2021 Environmental Science & Technology Letters 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights into the interaction mechanism of ofloxacin and functionalized nano-polystyrene.

This study investigated how the antibiotic ofloxacin interacts with functionalized polystyrene nanoplastics, finding that surface charge and functional groups on the nanoplastics strongly influenced binding strength and mechanisms. The results improve understanding of how nanoplastics can act as carriers for antibiotics in the environment, potentially altering their fate and biological effects.

2023 Spectrochimica acta. Part A, Molecular and biomolecular spectroscopy
Article Tier 2

Influence of nanoplastic surface charge on eco-corona formation, aggregation and toxicity to freshwater zooplankton

Researchers examined how surface charge and natural organic matter influence the stability and toxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics to freshwater zooplankton. They found that positively charged nanoplastics were significantly more toxic than negatively charged ones, and that natural organic matter formed an eco-corona on the particles that reduced their toxicity. The study highlights that both particle surface properties and environmental conditions play critical roles in determining nanoplastic impacts on aquatic organisms.

2019 Environmental Pollution 242 citations