Crystalline Supramolecular Naphthalimide Photocatalyst for Visible‐Light Microplastic Mineralization via Enhanced Interfacial Interactions

ABSTRACT Microplastics accumulate widely in aquatic systems, posing ecological risks. Thus, they require mineralization to inorganic products, yet this is slow under natural sunlight. We present a crystalline naphthalimide supramolecular assembly (NDINH) that promotes photocatalytic mineralization by tuning weak interfacial forces. NDINH forms synergistic π–π contacts and N─H···N≡C hydrogen bonds with polymer surfaces, with adsorption energy 0.327 eV, 2–3.5 times higher than inorganic photocatalysts. This pre‐concentration enhances interfacial transport to accelerate mineralization. Under AM1.5G, NDINH removes 92.2% acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene terpolymer (ABS) in 12 h, k = 0.078 h −1 , over 400‐fold faster than natural photoaging, with >85% mineralization. Multi‐scale mechanism studies indicate an early ·OH‐dominated attack that depolymerizes polymers, followed by hhole‐drivenoxidation to inorganic species. NDINH degrades polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate (PC) and polystyrene (PS) in seawater, river and tap water, and retains activity through a self‐healing supramolecular network. The interfacial strategy connects supramolecular design to principles for solid‐solid catalysis materials and outlines scalable paths to microplastic degradation.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Functional Materials
Published
2026-01-04
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202527581
Citations
1
Primary Topic
biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
22.64

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Crystalline Supramolecular Naphthalimide Photocatalyst for Visible‐Light Microplastic Mineralization via Enhanced Interfacial Interactions

Xinghao Qi, Qixin Zhou, Chuanzhe Wang, Yunfei Zhu et al.
1 citations
Advanced Functional Materials
biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties
22.64
article

Crystalline Supramolecular Naphthalimide Photocatalyst for Visible‐Light Microplastic Mineralization via Enhanced Interfacial Interactions

Xinghao Qi, Qixin Zhou, Chuanzhe Wang, Yunfei Zhu, Yizhou Yan, Jinbo Xue, Yan Guo
article en
1 citations

Abstract

ABSTRACT Microplastics accumulate widely in aquatic systems, posing ecological risks. Thus, they require mineralization to inorganic products, yet this is slow under natural sunlight. We present a crystalline naphthalimide supramolecular assembly (NDINH) that promotes photocatalytic mineralization by tuning weak interfacial forces. NDINH forms synergistic π–π contacts and N─H···N≡C hydrogen bonds with polymer surfaces, with adsorption energy 0.327 eV, 2–3.5 times higher than inorganic photocatalysts. This pre‐concentration enhances interfacial transport to accelerate mineralization. Under AM1.5G, NDINH removes 92.2% acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene terpolymer (ABS) in 12 h, k = 0.078 h −1 , over 400‐fold faster than natural photoaging, with >85% mineralization. Multi‐scale mechanism studies indicate an early ·OH‐dominated attack that depolymerizes polymers, followed by hhole‐drivenoxidation to inorganic species. NDINH degrades polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate (PC) and polystyrene (PS) in seawater, river and tap water, and retains activity through a self‐healing supramolecular network. The interfacial strategy connects supramolecular design to principles for solid‐solid catalysis materials and outlines scalable paths to microplastic degradation.

Advanced Functional Materials
City University of Hong Kong (HK), University of Hong Kong (HK), Taiyuan University of Technology (CN), Tsinghua University (CN)
National Science Foundation, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Tsinghua University
Life below water
Openalex Percentile: Top 3%
biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties
22.64
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.