Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Magnetically DrivenLiving Microrobot Swarms for AquaticMicro- and Nanoplastic Cleanup

This is a duplicate entry for the magnetically driven living microrobot study (same paper as ID 9516), describing bacterial microrobots for aquatic micro- and nanoplastic cleanup.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Magnetically DrivenLiving Microrobot Swarms for AquaticMicro- and Nanoplastic Cleanup

This is a duplicate entry for the magnetically driven living microrobot study (same paper as ID 9516), describing bacterial microrobots for aquatic micro- and nanoplastic cleanup.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Magnetically DrivenLiving Microrobot Swarms for AquaticMicro- and Nanoplastic Cleanup

This is a duplicate entry for the magnetically driven living microrobot study (same paper as ID 9516), describing bacterial microrobots for aquatic micro- and nanoplastic cleanup.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Magnetically DrivenLiving Microrobot Swarms for AquaticMicro- and Nanoplastic Cleanup

This is a duplicate entry for the magnetically driven living microrobot study (same paper as ID 9516), describing bacterial microrobots for aquatic micro- and nanoplastic cleanup.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Magnetically DrivenLiving Microrobot Swarms for AquaticMicro- and Nanoplastic Cleanup

This is a duplicate entry for the magnetically driven living microrobot study (same paper as ID 9516), describing bacterial microrobots with 3D swarming motion for aquatic micro- and nanoplastic cleanup guided by magnetic fields.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Magnetically DrivenLiving Microrobot Swarms for AquaticMicro- and Nanoplastic Cleanup

Researchers engineered magnetotactic bacteria-based microrobots capable of three-dimensional swarming motions guided by magnetic fields to capture micro- and nanoplastics from water. The living microrobots successfully captured plastics from commercial products including polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, and rubber microplastics, offering a bio-inspired cleanup strategy.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Magnetically Driven Living Microrobot Swarms for Aquatic Micro- and Nanoplastic Cleanup

Scientists developed tiny magnetically controlled bacterial microrobots that can swarm together to capture and remove micro- and nanoplastics from water. These living robots use natural swimming motion combined with magnetic guidance to collect plastic particles from various commercial products in aquatic environments. This innovative technology could lead to new ways of cleaning up microplastic pollution before it enters drinking water and the food chain.

2025 ACS Nano 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Biohybrid Magnetically Driven Microrobots for Sustainable Removal of Micro/Nanoplastics from the Aquatic Environment

Researchers developed biohybrid microrobots by coating biological cells with magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, enabling them to capture and remove micro- and nanoplastics from water using magnetic steering. The microrobots effectively captured plastic particles through electrostatic interactions and could be collected with a magnet after use. The study presents an innovative and sustainable approach to cleaning up plastic pollution in aquatic environments.

2023 Advanced Functional Materials 67 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainable Magnetic Nanorobots for Microplastics Remediation

This review highlights how magnetically controlled nanorobots — functionalized with hydrophobic coatings, biochar, and carbon-based materials — can remove microplastics from water with efficiencies exceeding 90% in minutes. Bioinspired designs mimicking biological swarm behavior offer reusable, eco-friendly alternatives to conventional remediation strategies.

2025 Microplastics
Article Tier 2

Magnetic Microrobot Swarms with Polymeric Hands Catching Bacteria and Microplastics in Water

Scientists developed tiny magnetic robots with polymer coatings that can swarm together and capture both bacteria and microplastics from water. The robots self-assemble into rotating formations when exposed to magnetic fields, effectively sweeping up contaminants as they move. This technology offers a promising new approach for cleaning microplastics from water supplies, which could help reduce human exposure to these pollutants.

2024 ACS Nano 60 citations
Article Tier 2

Tiny robots catch bacteria, microplastics in water

Researchers developed magnetically controlled microbots under 3 micrometers in diameter -- fabricated from Dynabeads coated with polymer strands -- that can capture both free-swimming bacteria and microplastics in water, offering a novel remediation approach for two distinct categories of aquatic contaminants.

2024 C&EN Global Enterprise
Article Tier 2

Recent Advances in Microrobots Powered by Multi-Physics Field for Biomedical and Environmental Applications

Not relevant to microplastics — this review surveys multi-physics-field-driven microrobots for biomedical and environmental applications such as targeted drug delivery and pollutant degradation, with microplastic removal mentioned only in passing as one of many potential environmental uses.

2024 Micromachines 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Low-Energy Photoresponsive Magnetic-Assisted Cleaning Microrobots for Removal of Microplastics in Water Environments

Researchers developed tiny light-powered magnetic microrobots that can actively seek out and collect microplastics from water, achieving 98% removal efficiency in under two minutes. The microrobots can be guided using magnetic fields and recovered for reuse, making the approach both effective and eco-friendly. This technology could eventually help clean microplastics from water sources before they reach people, though it is still at the laboratory stage.

2024 ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Reconfigurable Magnetic Liquid Metal Microrobots: A Regenerable Solution for the Capture and Removal of Micro/Nanoplastics

Scientists developed magnetically controlled liquid metal microrobots that can capture and remove micro- and nanoplastics from water. The tiny robots can change shape, be steered with magnets, and be regenerated for reuse, offering a potential new technology for cleaning plastic pollution from water sources before it reaches people.

2024 Advanced Functional Materials 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Self-Propelled Janus Microdimer Swimmers under a Rotating Magnetic Field

Researchers designed self-propelling microscopic swimmers powered by rotating magnetic fields, with potential uses in medicine and environmental monitoring. While not directly about microplastics, this micro-robotics technology could eventually be applied to detecting or removing contaminants at the microscale.

2019 Nanomaterials 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Multimodal collective swimming of magnetically articulated modular nanocomposite robots

Researchers built small magnetic robots from carbon nanotube frameworks coated in a magnetic polymer composite, demonstrating that groups of these robots can swim cooperatively at high speed and generate water vortices capable of collecting and transporting floating microplastics — pointing toward collective robotic approaches for environmental cleanup.

2022 Nature Communications 49 citations
Article Tier 2

Self-driven magnetorobots for recyclable and scalable micro/nanoplastic removal from nonmarine waters

Researchers developed self-driven magnetorobots using magnetizable ion-exchange resin spheres that can dynamically remove micro- and nanoplastics from nonmarine waters, overcoming limitations of conventional chemical flocculation and physical filtration methods.

2022 Science Advances 108 citations
Article Tier 2

Micro/nanorobots for remediation of water resources and aquatic life

Not relevant to microplastics — this review covers micro/nanorobot technologies for water pollution control, focusing on propulsion methods and decontamination mechanisms for biological and chemical pollutants broadly, with only passing mention of plastics.

2023 Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Emerging Applications of Magnetic Nanomaterials in the Remediation of Microplastics from the Aquatic Environment

This review examined the use of magnetic nanomaterials for removing microplastics from aquatic environments, summarizing how magnetic separation can efficiently capture plastic particles for remediation purposes. The authors highlight magnetic nanomaterials as a promising and scalable tool for microplastic cleanup.

2023 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Propulsion Mechanisms in Magnetic Microrobotics: From Single Microrobots to Swarms

This review examines the propulsion mechanisms of magnetic microrobots, from individual units to coordinated swarms, including their structural design and control methods. Researchers discuss how these tiny robots can be directed using external magnetic fields for tasks like targeted drug delivery and water purification. The technology has potential applications for environmental cleanup, including removing microplastics and other pollutants from water.

2025 Micromachines 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Are micro/nanorobots an effective solution to eliminate micro/nanoplastics in water/wastewater treatment plants?

Researchers reviewed micro/nanorobots as an emerging strategy for removing microplastics from water, finding that while these tiny magnetically or optically driven devices can capture particles through electrostatic interactions, their high cost, fuel dependence, low plastic degradation efficiency, and risk of secondary pollution currently limit practical deployment.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 12 citations
Article Tier 2

A Survey of Recent Developments in Magnetic Microrobots for Micro-/Nano-Manipulation

This survey reviews recent advances in tiny magnetically controlled robots designed for manipulating objects at the micro and nano scale, particularly in biomedical applications. Researchers found that these microrobots show promise for targeted drug delivery, cell manipulation, and minimally invasive surgery. While not directly about microplastics, the technology could eventually be applied to detecting or removing micro-scale pollutants from biological systems.

2024 Micromachines 33 citations
Article Tier 2

Ultrasensitive SERS detection and efficient flotation removal of nanoplastics from water using bubble-spouting micromotor swarms

Researchers developed magnetic Ag/Co micromotors that spout microbubbles and used them to simultaneously detect nanoplastics via surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and remove them from large water volumes through bubble-assisted flotation, demonstrating a new integrated approach for nanoplastic remediation.

2025
Article Tier 2

Micro/nanorobots for efficient removal and degradation of micro/nanoplastics

This paper reviews how tiny self-propelled robots at the micro and nanoscale could be used to capture and remove microplastics from water. These robots can be designed to target specific types of plastic particles and move through water on their own, offering advantages over traditional filtration methods. While still in early development, this technology could eventually provide a practical way to reduce microplastic contamination in drinking water and aquatic environments.

2023 Cell Reports Physical Science 32 citations