Aging transforms marine microplastics into reactive interfaces with environmental consequences.

Chaoran Li, Lingchen Zhang, Junheng Li, Zhonglai Zhou, Zhihang Chen, Dayong Zhao, Fei He, Min Xu

Abstract readReview

In one paragraph

Review in iScience, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Chaoran LiJiangsu Key Laboratory of Ocean-Land Environmental Change and Ecological Construction, School of Marine Science and Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China.

Lingchen ZhangJiangsu Key Laboratory of Ocean-Land Environmental Change and Ecological Construction, School of Marine Science and Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China.

Junheng LiDepartment of Brain Science, Imperial College London, UK/School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK.

Zhonglai ZhouJiangsu Key Laboratory of Ocean-Land Environmental Change and Ecological Construction, School of Marine Science and Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China.

Zhihang ChenJiangsu Key Laboratory of Ocean-Land Environmental Change and Ecological Construction, School of Marine Science and Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China.

Dayong ZhaoJoint International Research Laboratory of Global Change and Water Cycle, The National Key Laboratory of Water Disaster Prevention, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China.

Fei HeNanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, Nanjing 210042, China.

Min XuJiangsu Key Laboratory of Ocean-Land Environmental Change and Ecological Construction, School of Marine Science and Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Microplastics are pervasive contaminants in marine ecosystems and pose widespread threats to marine organisms and ecological processes. Diverse environmental stressors trigger microplastic aging through photooxidation, mechanical abrasion, and microbial colonization, which reshapes their physicochemical and biological traits. Aging induces polymer degradation, chemical group transformation, and increased surface roughness, greatly enhancing interfacial reactivity and adsorption toward heavy metals, organic pollutants, and antibiotics. It also alters microplastic transport, bioavailability, and toxicity, leading to cascading marine ecological risks. This review summarizes recent advances in marine microplastic aging mechanisms and surface evolution. An "interface reprogramming" framework is proposed to clarify how aging governs microplastic behaviors, pollutant interactions, and ecological fates. These findings deepen the understanding of microplastic hazards and support science-driven strategies for marine pollution mitigation.

Indexed as

environmental toxicologymicrobiofilmspollution

Identifiers

PMID42256270

DOI10.1016/j.isci.2026.116102

PMCPMC13233567

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata

LicenceCC BY

Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.