Environmental Science: Nano最新文献

{"title":"Engineered anionic and cationic lignin-g-PLGA nanoparticles for controlled delivery of nano CuS in lettuce (Lactuca sativa): effects of charge on nutrient uptake and metabolic activity","authors":"Fannyuy V. Kewir, Justin Gambill, Thanida Chuacharoen, Sumit Libi, Mycroft Mitchell, Omar Mendez, Carlos E. Astete, Zeyu Cai, Alvaro G. Garcia, Yi Wang, Jordan A. Dowell, Seung Soo S. Lee, John D. Fortner, Jason C. White and Cristina M. Sabliov","doi":"10.1039/D6EN00176A","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D6EN00176A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Engineered nano-delivery systems of controlled properties have shown great potential for agricultural applications. Here, the surfactant-free synthesis of anionic lignin (aLN) and cationic lignin (cLN) nanoparticles (NPs), of controlled size and charge, was optimized and tested for the delivery of nanoscale copper sulfide (nCuS), an antimicrobial and fertilizer complex, to lettuce (<em>Lactuca sativa</em>). NPs were produced by sonication-driven self-assembly of an amphiphilic polymer formed by grafting native, anionic lignin, or cationized lignin with poly(lactic-<em>co</em>-glycolic acid) (PLGA). Core–shell NP size was controlled by varying the w/w ratio of LN : PLGA and characterized using nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA). For anionic NPs, empty and nCuS-loaded 1 : 1 w/w aLN : PLGA averaged 111.6 (±4.1) nm, whereas 1 : 4 w/w aLN : PLGA NPs averaged 139.1 (±7.6) nm. Cationic NPs were 170.8 (±4.7) nm for 2 : 1 w/w cLN : PLGA and 172.6 (±11.0) nm for 1 : 1 w/w formulation. Zeta potentials (<em>ζ</em>) exceeded −70 mV for anionic NPs, and +25 mV for cationic NPs, indicating high colloidal stability. HAADF and S/TEM-EDS showed surface and cavity loading of nCuS and colocalization of Cu and S in the loaded (a/c)LNPs. Four-week-old lettuce was hydroponically exposed to (a/c)LNPs (250 mg L<small>⁻¹</small>) for 7 days. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) revealed significant Cu accumulation in roots for both aLNPs and cLNPs, while only aLNPs enabled significant Cu translocation to leaves relative to controls (5.2 ± 1.5 and 7.4 ± 3.4 <em>versus</em> 1.4 ± 0.4 mg kg<small>⁻¹</small>). High-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) biomolecular profiling and protein content analysis showed no significant changes in biomolecule levels in roots and leaves, indicating minimal phytotoxicity. The successful synthesis and application of (a/c)LNPs as a delivery system for CuS is demonstrated, and the insight into the metabolic response of plants to lignin-based NP carrier systems highlights the significant promise of this strategy for future applications in sustainable agriculture.</p>","PeriodicalId":73,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Nano","volume":" 6","pages":" 2757-2773"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148261473","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Extraction, quantification and characterization of mercury and selenium containing nanoparticles in seal livers using single particle inductively coupled plasma time of flight mass spectrometry (spICP-ToF-MS)","authors":"Houssame-Eddine Ahabchane, Chrystelle Lessard, Maria Chrifi Alaoui, Sofia Paciello, Dominic E. Ponton, Marc Amyot and Kevin J. Wilkinson","doi":"10.1039/D5EN01173F","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5EN01173F","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Mercury accumulation in Arctic marine mammals presents significant environmental and health concerns, particularly for Indigenous communities relying on these animals as traditional food sources. This study developed a protocol for quantifying and characterizing mercury selenide (HgSe) nanoparticles in seal livers using single particle inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometry (spICP-ToF-MS). The initial key challenge was the extraction of the nanoparticles from the biological tissue, using the least perturbing means and simplest extraction matrix in order to preserve the HgSe nanoparticles. Five extraction methods (formic acid, proteinase &amp; lipase, lipase, tetramethylammonium hydroxide, and ultrapure water) were compared by extracting HgSe nanoparticles from the liver of a bearded seal (<em>Erignathus barbatus</em>). Metals and metalloids in individual nanoparticles were measured by spICP-ToF-MS. Based on the particle number and the particle size distributions, formic acid was the best medium for the extraction of the HgSe nanoparticles. The HgSe nanoparticles remained structurally stable in formic acid extracts for extended periods (up to one month), with minimal changes in the particle numbers or particle size distributions. spICP-ToF-MS allowed determination of the stoichiometry of the individual HgSe nanoparticles and also revealed previously unreported trace amounts of silver (1%) and bismuth (0.5%) associated with the nanoparticles. These results expand our understanding of selenium's protective role beyond mercury sequestration, suggesting a conserved detoxification mechanism involving multi-element selenide complexes. This study establishes a robust analytical methodology for investigating metal detoxification at the nanoscale, providing insights into mercury cycling in Arctic ecosystems and exposure risks for communities consuming marine mammals.</p>","PeriodicalId":73,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Nano","volume":" 5","pages":" 2541-2552"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/en/d5en01173f?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147978684","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ligand-mediated microenvironment tuning of UiO-66 to boost Pt activity for efficient VOC oxidation","authors":"Juntian Li, Changjian Wang, Didi Li and Zhimin Ao","doi":"10.1039/D6EN00173D","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D6EN00173D","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Maximizing the catalytic potential of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) requires rational design and precise control over their microenvironment. Although modulator-assisted synthesis can introduce defects in MOFs, systematic understanding of how linker-to-modulator ratios affect the physicochemical and catalytic properties remains a critical gap. This work demonstrates a straightforward ligand modulation strategy to precisely engineer the properties of UiO-66 by varying the ratio of monodentate benzoic acid to bidentate terephthalic acid. Systematic characterization reveals that this approach effectively modulates defect density, surface area, electron density, and acidity of the support. An optimal modulator concentration produces a balance between defect creation and structural integrity, leading to enhanced electron density at Zr sites and favourable surface chemistry, which strengthens the chemical adsorption of toluene. When used as a support for Pt nanoparticles, the modulated microenvironment promotes superior metal dispersion, induces electron transfer from the support to Pt, and establishes a stable metal–support interaction. Consequently, the optimized Pt/UiO-66-10 catalyst exhibits exceptional activity for toluene oxidation. Furthermore, back-propagation neural network (BPNN) analysis quantifies the structure–activity relationships, revealing that tuning acid sites dominates the electronic and surface properties of Pt/UiO-66, and that metal–support interaction outweighs the Pt oxidation state in enhancing catalytic efficiency. This work not only provides a clear design strategy for high-efficiency MOF-based VOC oxidation catalysts, but also establishes a generalizable paradigm for microenvironment engineering of MOFs through straightforward ligand modulation.</p>","PeriodicalId":73,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Nano","volume":" 5","pages":" 2553-2562"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147978756","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Biogenic zinc titanate nanoparticles in plant tissue culture: micropropagation of Clitoria ternatea and molecular docking against pathogens","authors":"Heena Peethambaran, Nisha George, Sohini Chakraborty, Viji M. O. and Vidhya Thomas K.","doi":"10.1039/D5EN01064K","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/D5EN01064K","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Growing population, erratic weather, and resistant pathogens have created an urgent need for innovative strategies to enhance agricultural sustainability. To this effect, we have synthesized ZnTiO<small>₃</small> nanoparticles in a green co-precipitation route using <em>Vitex negundo</em> L. leaf extract and assessed their efficiency in promoting the seedling growth of forage plant <em>Clitoria ternatea</em>. The synthesized nanoparticles were extensively characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy, FTIR, PL, XRD, SEM, EDAX and TEM. Plant tissue culture experiments with varying nanoparticle concentrations (1–5 mg mL<small>⁻¹</small>) revealed that 3 mg mL<small>⁻¹</small> ZnTiO<small>₃</small> nanoparticles significantly promoted root and shoot elongation, while higher concentrations inhibited growth. Single-particle ICP-MS analysis also confirmed the enhanced growth at 3 mg mL<small>⁻¹</small>. These results were further validated statistically using ANOVA, which revealed that exposure time and concentration were the primary determinants for shoot length. The nanoparticles also exhibited pronounced antifungal activity against the plant pathogens, <em>Fusarium solani</em> and <em>Curvularia lunata</em>, corroborated by molecular docking results indicating high binding energy (−8.6 kcal mol<small>⁻¹</small>) between fungal proteins and vitexin-capped ZnTiO<small>₃</small> nanoparticles. The antifungal activity was further tested in a practical setting wherein these nanoparticles were introduced into a contaminated medium and they still retained their efficacy. Efficient seedling growth at this concentration matched with hardening-off results, where gradual acclimatization improved post-transplant growth. Thus, ZnTiO<small>₃</small> nanoparticles proved to be a novel, nutrient-rich and microbial contamination resistant supplement which promotes the sustainable <em>in vitro</em> seedling growth of the <em>C. ternatea</em> plant.</p>","PeriodicalId":73,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Nano","volume":" 6","pages":" 2727-2743"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148261523","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Lignin-derived carbon dots from leaf waste as sustainable plant sunscreens and UV-protective foliar coatings","authors":"Raja muthuramalingam Thangavelu, Sarah Gray, Binlin Wu, Richard A. Pellegrino, Washington da Silva, Nubia Zuverza Mena, Christian O. Dimkpa and Jason C. White","doi":"10.1039/D5EN01210D","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D5EN01210D","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Lignin-derived carbon dots made from leaf waste offer a sustainable tool for plant protection by converting agricultural residues into functional nanomaterials. High-purity lignin was extracted from Norway maple (<em>Acer platanoides</em>) leaves, and two classes of lignin carbon dots were synthesized by hydrothermal treatment at 200 °C (partially carbonized, pLCD-200) and 350 °C (fully carbonized, fLCD-350). Microscopy confirmed spherical nanoscale structures with mean diameters of 12.3 ± 3.8 nm for pLCD-200 and 9.3 ± 1.9 nm for fLCD-350, while zeta potential values of −13.7 and −19.9 mV indicated good colloidal stability. Spectroscopic analyses revealed distinct optical behaviors: pLCD-200 showed strong UV absorption (200–350 nm) and blue emission at 440–460 nm with excitation-dependent shifts, converting part of the absorbed UV light into photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). In contrast, fLCD-350 displayed broader UV-visible absorption and near-infrared emission around 710–730 nm with minimal excitation dependence. Under natural sunlight, pLCD-200 exhibited emission decay consistent with first-order kinetics (<em>k</em> ≈ 0.010 h<small>⁻¹</small>; half-life ≈3 days), while fLCD-350 demonstrated persistent emission and gradual photo-brightening modeled by first-order association (<em>k</em><small>_g</small> ≈ 0.002 h<small>⁻¹</small>; doubling time ≈15 days). FTIR confirmed that fLCD-350 stability arises from decarbonylation, ether bond cleavage, and condensation of aromatic domains into a carbonized core with few oxygen groups. Formulation with sodium alginate produced uniform films that retained strong leaf-surface fluorescence for at least 10 days outdoors, ensuring durable adhesion and UV shielding. Short-term photosynthesis measurements (0–48 h) and greenhouse growth assays with foliar exposure to pLCD and fLCD at 300 and 600 mg L<small>⁻¹</small> revealed no adverse effects on photosystem function or plant development. These findings demonstrate that lignin carbon dots, particularly fLCD-350, are durable, optically versatile, and plant-compatible nanomaterials functioning as long-lasting sunscreens and UV-protective foliar coatings that convert harmful UV into photosynthetically useful light.</p>","PeriodicalId":73,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Nano","volume":" 5","pages":" 2508-2523"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147735625","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Interpreting the dynamic association of nanoplastics with Chlorella vulgaris: insight from single-cell analysis and Gaussian mixture modelling","authors":"Rega Permana, Swati Sharma, Bashiru Ibrahim, Tajudeen A. Oyehan, Christopher Stark, Miguel A. Gomez-Gonzalez, Christian Pfrang and Eugenia Valsami-Jones","doi":"10.1039/D6EN00046K","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D6EN00046K","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Nanoplastics (NPls) have been recognized as emerging persistent toxic particulates in aquatic environments and their interactions with biota pose growing ecological concerns. Yet, the mechanisms governing their cellular association and resulting toxicity remain poorly resolved because population-level assays obscure the inherent variability among individual cells. Here, we integrate single-cell inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SC-ICP-MS) with Gaussian mixture modelling (GMM) to quantify the dynamic heterogeneous association of Eu-doped polystyrene nanoplastics (Eu-doped NPls) with the model microalga <em>Chlorella vulgaris</em>. The GMM analysis identified distinct subpopulations exhibiting variable particle association that shift dynamically with exposure time and concentration. Across exposures of 5–20 mg L<small>⁻¹</small>, GMM analysis revealed that the majority of microalgal cells (35–65%) belonged to low-association clusters, whereas only a small fraction (0–10%) exhibited high NPls association, with pronounced temporal and concentration-dependent shifts in subpopulation structure. A generalized linear model (GLM) further demonstrated that these high-burden subpopulations disproportionately account for observed growth inhibition, increasing from 12.75% at 5 mg L<small>⁻¹</small> to 39.34% and 43.05% at 10 and 20 mg L<small>⁻¹</small>, respectively. Synchrotron-based nano X-ray fluorescence (nano-XRF) provided spatial evidence consistent with particle localization within or closely associated with algal cell, while physiological endpoints (chlorophyll-a content, CO<small>₂</small> fixation, ROS, and MDA levels) validated the toxicity trends. This integrative single-cell and unsupervised machine-learning modelling framework provides quantitative evidence that stochastic, heterogeneous interactions underpin NPls toxicity in microalgae. The approach offers a transferable analytical paradigm for elucidating the fate and effects of persistent plastic pollutants in aquatic ecosystems.</p>","PeriodicalId":73,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Nano","volume":" 5","pages":" 2524-2540"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/en/d6en00046k?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147726442","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Visualizing hydrogen nanobubble generation at nanoscale zero-valent iron/water interfaces","authors":"Shuangjia Shi, Qing Huang, Wei-xian Zhang, Lijuan Zhang and Airong Liu","doi":"10.1039/D6EN00180G","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D6EN00180G","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Nanobubbles (NBs) possess unique interfacial and physicochemical properties, yet convincing in-liquid, nanoscale-resolved evidence of their formation in reactive metal–water systems remains lacking. Here, we visualize hydrogen nanobubble (HNB) generation during the anaerobic aqueous corrosion of nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) using optical scattering methods, synchrotron imaging and interfacial microscopy. Laser Tyndall scattering and nanoparticle tracking analyses reveal fast-moving nanoscale scattering centers in 0.22 μm filtered nZVI–H<small>₂</small>O reaction filtrates; these signals are negligible in ethanol controls and are strongly suppressed by freeze–vacuum degassing, supporting a gaseous origin. In-liquid scanning transmission X-ray microscopy at the O K-edge resolves discrete high-transmission void-like features adjacent to nZVI aggregates in water but not in ethanol, directly visualizing interfacial gas domains. Liquid-phase scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy show that these low-density, low-stiffness domains emerge rapidly and accumulate at the iron/water interface. Cyclic voltammetry and electron paramagnetic resonance spin trapping further link gas-domain formation to sustained hydrogen evolution and short-lived hydrogen-associated intermediates. These results establish aqueous nZVI corrosion as an intrinsic generator of HNBs and extend iron corrosion from a classical solid–liquid pathway to coupled gas–liquid–solid interfacial processes, which have implications for groundwater remediation.</p>","PeriodicalId":73,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Nano","volume":" 5","pages":" 2262-2270"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/en/d6en00180g?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147720071","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Size-dependent UVB-mediated and mechanical breakdown of polystyrene nanoparticles in the presence of iron oxide","authors":"Mikael T. Ekvall, Raluca Svensson, Swathi Sudhakar, Ethayaraja Mani, Martin Lundqvist and Tommy Cedervall","doi":"10.1039/D5EN00848D","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D5EN00848D","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Nanoplastics are increasingly being recognized as a global pollutant. However, relatively few studies report directly measured concentrations of nano- and microplastics in environmental samples, although available data suggest levels of up to 0.5 mg L<small>⁻¹</small> in lake water, which is surprisingly high. Their degradation in the environment, particularly under UV irradiation, is still poorly understood. Here, we investigated the effect of UVB irradiation on polystyrene nanoparticles of different sizes (99 nm to 200 nm) and evaluated whether iron oxide nanoparticles accelerate their breakdown. Particle size and mass changes were monitored using differential centrifugal sedimentation (DCS), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA). Our results show that UV-mediated degradation was size-dependent, with larger nanoparticles breaking down more rapidly than the smaller ones under identical mass concentrations. The addition of iron oxide nanoparticles accelerated the UVB-mediated breakdown of the 99 nm particles, leading to a &gt;100-fold reduction in particle concentration and loss of toxicity in <em>Daphnia magna</em> assays after 111 days. Mechanical breakdown experiments demonstrated that the larger particles were more susceptible to size reduction than the smaller particles. Together, these findings suggested that small nanoplastic particles may accumulate in natural environments due to their slower degradation, but iron oxide could serve as an effective and low-cost remediation strategy for accelerating their breakdown and mitigating toxicity.</p>","PeriodicalId":73,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Nano","volume":" 5","pages":" 2341-2349"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2026/en/d5en00848d?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147708794","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Deciphering the role of carbon nanotubes in plants: functional benefits, phytotoxic risks and environmental safety","authors":"Zeba Parveen, Mohammad Shiraz, Yamshi Arif, John Pichtel and Shamsul Hayat","doi":"10.1039/D5EN01033K","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D5EN01033K","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are increasingly being explored as innovative tools in modern agriculture because of their exceptional structural and surface properties. CNTs have been increasingly harnessed in plant science as potent growth stimulators and innovative delivery systems (<em>e.g.</em>, nanocarriers). CNTs have been shown to enhance seed germination, plant growth, water and nutrient uptake, biomass accumulation, chlorophyll levels, and photosynthetic performance under both stress and non-stress conditions. CNTs have also been shown to upregulate antioxidant systems, thereby attenuating reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced oxidative damage and enhancing plant stress tolerance and physiological robustness. At the same time, the expanding use of CNTs raises concerns about plant safety and environmental impact. Their effects are not uniform and depend strongly on factors such as dose, size, surface functionalization, and interactions within soil–plant systems. Under certain conditions, CNTs exposure may disrupt cellular structures, alter metabolic balance, or trigger oxidative stress. Concerns also extend to their environmental persistence, potential accumulation in plant tissues, and possible movement through food chains, highlighting the need for careful risk assessment. This review provides a balanced evaluation of the current understanding of CNT–plant interactions, examining both their growth-promoting potential and associated phytotoxic and ecological risks. It emphasizes the importance of developing evidence-based strategies to ensure the safe and sustainable integration of CNTs into agricultural practices.</p>","PeriodicalId":73,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Nano","volume":" 6","pages":" 2621-2649"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147720041","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Elucidating the formation of nanoplastics from plastic nurdles in hydrocarbon-contaminated water","authors":"Md Hosnay Mobarok, Qin Xin, Rafal Gieleciak and Daniela Arango","doi":"10.1039/D5EN00591D","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D5EN00591D","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Plastics and hydrocarbons are two major pollutants affecting oceans and freshwater systems. In this study, we investigate the transformation and behavior of three types of microplastic (MP) nurdles in water co-contaminated with various liquid hydrocarbons under ultrasonic agitation and rotary-orbital shaking conditions. Our findings reveal that the high-energy ultrasonic agitation produces a combination of secondary microplastics (sMPs) and nanoplastics (NPs), whereas the low energy rotary orbital shaking predominantly generates NPs. The formation of sMPs is attributed to the top-down mechanical fragmentation of nurdles, resulting in irregularly shaped particles with fibrous fractures. In contrast, NPs are primarily formed <em>via</em> a bottom-up process, wherein oligomeric species present in the nurdles dissolve into the hydrocarbon contaminants. These oligomers in hydrocarbons subsequently undergo emulsification under both high- and low-energy mixing conditions and precipitate as NPs in water. Characterization of the plastic particles was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) microscopy, and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) analysis. The presence of oligomeric species was confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). This study provides critical insights into a potential new mechanism of NP formation in hydrocarbon-contaminated aquatic environments, highlighting the complex interactions between plastic waste and hydrocarbon co-contaminants.</p>","PeriodicalId":73,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Science: Nano","volume":" 5","pages":" 2483-2496"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147726456","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}