Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Adsorption behavior and quantum chemical analysis of surface functionalized polystyrene nano-plastics on gatifloxacin.

Researchers studied how three types of polystyrene nanoplastics — unmodified, amino-modified, and carboxyl-modified — adsorb the antibiotic gatifloxacin, finding that surface chemistry strongly influences uptake. This matters because nanoplastics that absorb antibiotics could serve as vectors carrying these pharmaceuticals into aquatic ecosystems and the organisms that live there.

2024 Environmental science and pollution research international
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

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

Adsorption characteristics of antibiotics on microplastics: The effect of surface contamination with an anionic surfactant

Researchers found that the common anionic surfactant SDBS coating polystyrene and polyethylene microplastics significantly altered their adsorption of the antibiotics oxytetracycline and norfloxacin. SDBS changed the surface charge and hydrophobicity of MPs in ways that increased antibiotic binding, suggesting surfactant-contaminated MPs pose a greater risk as antibiotic vectors in aquatic environments.

2022 Chemosphere 48 citations
Article Tier 2

Interfacial Interactions between Escherichia coli and Polystyrene Nanoplastics: a Physicochemical Perspective

When nanoplastic particles encounter bacteria in the environment, the nature of that interaction affects how plastics move through ecosystems and whether they carry pathogens. This study examined how polystyrene nanoparticles (both plain and amine-modified) interact with E. coli at a physicochemical level, finding that attachment depended strongly on particle surface charge, pH, and concentration. The amine-modified particles bound more readily to bacterial surfaces and altered bacterial membranes, suggesting that surface chemistry—which changes as plastics weather in the environment—substantially influences the ecological behavior of nanoplastics and their potential to ferry microorganisms to new locations.

2026 The Journal of Physical Chemistry B
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of antibiotics on microplastics

This study examined the adsorption of antibiotics onto different microplastic types, finding that sorption capacity depended on both the antibiotic's chemical properties and the plastic's surface characteristics, with implications for antibiotic transport in aquatic environments.

2018 Environmental Pollution 1314 citations
Article Tier 2

Surface charge governs polystyrene nanoplastics' influence on conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes

This study found that the surface charge of polystyrene nanoplastics governs their influence on the conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) between bacteria. Negatively charged nanoplastics promoted ARG transfer more than positively charged particles, providing mechanistic insights for mitigating antibiotic resistance spread in contaminated environments.

2026 Environmental Science Nano 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption-desorption behaviors of ciprofloxacin onto aged polystyrene fragments in aquatic environments

Researchers investigated how UV and chemical aging of polystyrene microplastic fragments affects their adsorption and desorption of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin in aquatic environments, finding that aging increased surface area and altered surface chemistry, thereby enhancing adsorption capacity. The study identified key physicochemical properties controlling antibiotic-microplastic interactions and their potential to affect antibiotic bioavailability in contaminated waters.

2023 Chemosphere 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of fluoroquinolones to nanoplastics as affected by surface functionalization and solution chemistry

Researchers investigated the sorption behavior of two fluoroquinolone antibiotics — norfloxacin and levofloxacin — onto plain and carboxyl-functionalized polystyrene nanoplastics, finding nonlinear sorption isotherms best fit by the Langmuir model and that surface functionalization and solution chemistry significantly affected uptake.

2020 Environmental Pollution 96 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of clarithromycin on polystyrene nanoplastics surface and its combined adverse effect on serum albumin

Researchers examined how the antibiotic clarithromycin binds to the surface of polystyrene nanoplastics and how this combination interacts with blood proteins. They found that the drug readily adsorbed onto the nanoplastic surface and that the drug-nanoplastic complex altered the structure and function of serum albumin more than either substance alone. The findings suggest that nanoplastics could amplify the biological effects of pharmaceutical pollutants by acting as carriers in the body.

2023 Colloids and Surfaces B Biointerfaces 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Comparative study on the adsorption and desorption behaviors of quinolone pollutants on polystyrene microplastics of different particle sizes

Researchers compared how polystyrene microplastics of different particle sizes adsorb and release the antibiotic pollutants ciprofloxacin and gatifloxacin. The study found that smaller microplastics had higher adsorption capacity due to greater surface area and charge, and that pollutants were harder to release from smaller particles, suggesting that fine microplastics may more effectively transport antibiotic contaminants through aquatic environments.

2025 Environmental Technology & Innovation 5 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

Tetracycline adsorption trajectories on aged polystyrene in a simulated aquatic environment: A mechanistic investigation

Researchers found that aging of polystyrene microplastics in simulated aquatic environments progressively altered their surface properties and enhanced tetracycline antibiotic adsorption over time, with pseudo-second-order kinetics best describing the process, highlighting how weathered microplastics may increase antibiotic transport in aquatic systems.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of Macrolide Antibiotics by Aged Microplastics of Different Sizes: Mechanisms and Effects

Researchers investigated how aging affects the ability of polystyrene microplastics to adsorb macrolide antibiotics in water, testing two particle sizes under simulated natural aging conditions. They found that aging increased surface roughness and oxygen-containing functional groups on the microplastics, significantly enhancing their ability to adsorb azithromycin, clarithromycin, and erythromycin. The findings suggest that weathered microplastics in the environment may carry higher loads of antibiotic contaminants than pristine particles.

2025 Nanomaterials 5 citations
Article Tier 2

A spectroscopic and theoretical investigation of interaction mechanisms of tetracycline and polystyrene nanospheres under different conditions

Researchers investigated how the antibiotic tetracycline adsorbs onto polystyrene nanoplastics under varying environmental conditions, finding that humic acid enhanced adsorption capacity while magnesium ions inhibited it at higher pH, with the interaction driven by electrostatic attraction, π-π stacking, and hydrophobic effects — suggesting nanoplastics can serve as antibiotic carriers in aquatic environments.

2019 Environmental Pollution 88 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption characteristics of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride on polystyrene microplastics in freshwater

Researchers studied how polystyrene microplastics adsorb the antibiotic ciprofloxacin in freshwater, comparing pristine and aged particles. They found that aging treatment, particularly Fenton oxidation over seven days, significantly enhanced the adsorption capacity of the microplastics for the antibiotic. The study suggests that as microplastics weather in the environment, they may become increasingly effective carriers of pharmaceutical contaminants in water systems.

2024 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 10 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

Adsorption interactions between typical microplastics and enrofloxacin: Relevant contributions to the mechanism

This study investigated how common microplastics (polyethylene, PVC, and polystyrene) absorb the antibiotic enrofloxacin from the environment. The researchers found that microplastics can effectively bind antibiotics through multiple chemical mechanisms, with the strength of binding depending on water conditions like acidity. This is concerning because microplastics carrying antibiotics could transport them into the food chain, potentially contributing to antibiotic resistance and affecting human health.

2024 Chemosphere 65 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of antibiotics onto aged microplastics in freshwater and seawater

Aged microplastics were found to sorb antibiotics from fresh and saltwater, with aging processes altering the surface properties of the plastic and increasing antibiotic binding capacity in some cases. The adsorption of antibiotics onto aged microplastics could facilitate their transport and delivery to aquatic organisms, potentially contributing to antibiotic resistance in environmental bacteria.

2019 Marine Pollution Bulletin 273 citations
Article Tier 2

Sorption of tetracycline antibiotics by microplastics, associated mechanisms, and risk assessments

Researchers systematically investigated how three common microplastic types adsorb tetracycline antibiotics. The study found that polystyrene had the highest adsorption capacity at 178.57 micrograms per gram, followed by PVC and polyethylene, and that PVC and polystyrene strongly retained the antibiotics with minimal desorption, raising concerns about compound pollution from microplastic-antibiotic combinations in the environment.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 16 citations