Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Experimental and Numerical Investigation on the Effect of Scratch Direction on Material Removal and Friction Characteristic in BK7 Scratching

This materials science study examined how the direction of nanoscratching affects crack formation and material removal in optical glass. The research is focused on precision manufacturing and has no direct relevance to microplastics or environmental health.

2020 Materials 14 citations
Article Tier 2

On the Formation and Characterization of Nanoplastics During Surface Wear Processes

Researchers characterized nanoplastic particle generation during surface wear processes, finding that mechanical abrasion of bulk plastic materials produces a broad size distribution of particles including sub-100 nm fragments, with surface wear rate depending on polymer hardness and contact conditions.

2025 Surfaces
Article Tier 2

Direct Correlations among the Grain Size, Texture, and Indentation Behavior of Nanocrystalline Nickel Coatings

Researchers studied how grain size affects the mechanical properties of nanocrystalline nickel coatings. This materials science paper is unrelated to environmental microplastics.

2019 Metals 32 citations
Article Tier 2

Surface Mechanical Properties and Topological Characteristics of Thermoplastic Copolyesters after Precisely Controlled Abrasion

This study characterized surface mechanical properties and texture changes in thermoplastic copolyesters after controlled abrasion testing. Understanding how polymer surfaces wear is relevant to microplastic generation, since mechanical abrasion of plastic products is a key pathway through which microplastics are released into the environment.

2023 ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanoindentation tests on diamond-machined silicon wafers

This precision manufacturing study used nanoindentation to examine how diamond-turning creates an amorphous surface layer on silicon wafers, finding this layer has different mechanical properties than pristine silicon. This is a semiconductor manufacturing study with no relevance to environmental microplastics.

2005 Applied Physics Letters 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Contact damage of human dental enamel under cyclic axial loading with abrasive particles

Researchers investigated how cyclic axial loading in a silica particle medium damages human dental enamel at multiple scales, finding that while macroscopic wear is negligible, abrasive particles cause surface microindentation and subsurface demineralization that can degrade fracture strength over time.

2019 Journal of the mechanical behavior of biomedical materials/Journal of mechanical behavior of biomedical materials 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of Scratch Velocity on Deformation Features of C-plane Sapphire during Nanoscratching

This engineering study examined how the speed of a nanoscratching tool affects the deformation and cracking of sapphire crystal surfaces. This is a materials science study focused on advanced ceramics manufacturing with no relevance to microplastic pollution.

2013 Strojniški vestnik – Journal of Mechanical Engineering 28 citations
Article Tier 2

The effect of heat flow from friction forces on the surface of the billets

This engineering study examined how friction-generated heat affects the surface of ceramic billets during grinding operations. The paper is an industrial manufacturing study and is not related to microplastics or environmental health.

2023 E3S Web of Conferences
Article Tier 2

Surface Chemistry in Environmental Degradation of Polymeric Solids

Researchers reviewed the three main degradation pathways of plastic materials from a surface chemistry perspective: chemical, biological, and mechanical degradation. They described how these processes can occur consecutively or simultaneously in the environment, ultimately producing microplastics. The study provides a scientific framework for understanding how plastics break down into smaller particles, which is essential for developing strategies to address microplastic pollution.

2024 Langmuir 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Aging behavior of microplastics accelerated by mechanical fragmentation: alteration of intrinsic and extrinsic properties

Researchers mechanically fragmented polystyrene, polypropylene, and PET microplastics to simulate environmental aging, finding that fragmentation alters surface chemistry, crystallinity, and heavy metal adsorption capacity, with aging degree measurable through structural changes.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 21 citations
Article Tier 2

From Macro to Micro Plastics; Influence of Photo-oxidative Degradation

This study used simulated UV aging to investigate how photo-oxidative degradation of common plastics drives fragmentation from macro to micro scale, characterizing the surface property changes and structural breakdown that generate microplastic particles in the environment.

2023 Kemija u industriji 4 citations
Article Tier 2

The surface degradation and release of microplastics from plastic films studied by UV radiation and mechanical abrasion

Researchers examined how UV radiation and mechanical abrasion, both individually and combined, cause plastic films to degrade and release microplastics. They found that the combination of UV exposure and physical wear was significantly more damaging than either factor alone, accelerating surface deterioration and particle release. The study provides evidence that everyday environmental conditions can generate substantial quantities of microplastics from common plastic materials.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 112 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of Structural Morphology of Commodity Polymers in Microplastics and Nanoplastics Formation: Fragmentation, Effects and Associated Toxicity in the Aquatic Environment

This review examines how the structural morphology and chemical composition of commodity polymers influence the formation and environmental behaviour of microplastics and nanoplastics, arguing that chemical degradation pathways have been largely overlooked in favour of purely physical abrasion explanations for plastic fragmentation.

2021 Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Investigation of optical properties of microplastics

Researchers collected sand from Los Angeles beaches and studied the optical properties of naturally occurring microplastics using a laser-tweezer setup. The resulting database of optical characteristics is intended to help develop tools for detecting microplastics and studying their interactions with ocean microorganisms.

2023