Magnetic MXene microrobots remove microplastics from soil and water in lab tests
Image: Primary Scientists in the Czech Republic built microscopic cleanup robots that removed microplastics from soil and water samples in the laboratory, phys.org reported, citing a study in NPG Asia Materials.
The team started with microscopic MXene particles, coated them with magnetic nickel nanoparticles, and used rotating magnetic fields to spin and tumble the swarms through liquid and water-filled soil gaps. Sticky surfaces bound plastic particles so a magnet could pull robots and cargo out together.
In water, the microrobots removed about 94% of test polystyrene particles and 89% of PET in around an hour. In model soil they removed about 81% of polystyrene and 72% of PET, outperforming the same MXene material used without magnetic motion.
The authors wrote that in soil the microrobots can navigate water-permeated microenvironments, disrupt microplastic entrapment, and extract particles. Tests were lab-only; field trials and risks such as metal-ion leaching and incomplete magnetic retrieval still need study. Citation: Jeonghyo Kim et al., NPG Asia Materials (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41427-026-00670-7.
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