Nanoplastic standards

Client
NIST
Year
2026
Type
explanatory diagram / data visualization
Field
measurement science / nanoplastics
Status
submitted manuscript
Description
Paper figures for a manuscript on nanoplastic standards, including diagrams for toxicity tests, weathering processes, and measurement methods.

Context

The manuscript discusses standards for measuring and testing nanoplastic particles. It connects several technical areas: physicochemical measurements, reference materials, weathering methods, and toxicity assays.

Approach

The researchers provided sketches and draft figures. I redrew the figure set, made a consistent set of icons, clarified several dense diagrams, and proposed a matrix-style chart for the measurement-method data.

Figures

Table-of-contents image summarizing the main areas of the manuscript.
Network of standards activities for measuring and testing nanoplastic particles.
Material complexity, measurement complexity, and possible applications for nanoplastic materials.
Matrix-style chart comparing sample properties, measurement targets, methods, and sample types.
Plastic sources, weathering processes, and particle properties shown as separate parts of one pathway.

Process

The largest change was Figure 3. I suggested replacing a network diagram with a custom matrix chart so readers could compare methods, measurement targets, and sample types more directly.

Before and after: simplified network structure and stronger contrast.
Before and after: the same content reorganized as a custom chart.
Before and after: environmental sources and particle changes separated into clearer parts.
Before and after: toxicity-test concerns redrawn as a modular diagram.