Innovative Functional Materials in Photocatalysis, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Photocatalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2024 | Viewed by 2768

Special Issue Editors

Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Interests: condensed matter physics; functional materials; metal oxides; electro-ceramics; luminescence powders; nanomaterials; structure, optical and electrical characterization; photocatalysis; environmental protection
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
Interests: advanced oxidation processes; photocatalytic decomposition; environmental protection; emerging organic pollutants; wastewaters purification; kinetics methods of analysis; analytical chemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

One hot spot in the research on heterogeneous semiconductor photocatalysis is the achievement of high efficiency under visible solar energy using stable, inexpensive, and sustainable photocatalytic materials, such as those made by green chemistry. The progress in this area is expected to make improvements by doping, surface modifications, and band-gap couplings of semiconductors, and by the use of nanotechnology. Hybrid materials made from inorganic semiconductors and conjugated polymers, as well as resin, clay, or zeolite nanocomposites, have emerged as promising new photoactive materials. The processing, characterization, and photocatalytic application of a wide range of differently shaped (powders, ceramics, thin films, membranes, nanomaterials) semiconductor materials of metal oxides, metal chalcogenides, inorganic–organic hybrids with conjugated polymers, and nanocomposites with resin, clay or zeolite, are of interest for this Special Issue.

We especially welcome papers that provide straightforward solutions for environmentally and economically feasible wastewater treatments, antibacterial activity, and clean and sustainable energy production. Papers on innovative functional materials for oxygen/hydrogen production, methane conversion, and natural gas separation are also welcome.

The articles presented in this Special Issue will cover various topics, ranging from the synthesis of semiconductors and their characterization to their specific applications, especially for their use in advanced oxidation processes. Of special interest are advanced semiconductors with better efficiency in degrading water pollutants under visible light.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, metal oxides; metal chalcogenides; composite semiconductors; inorganic–organic hybrids with conjugated polymers; and nanocomposites with resin, clay, or zeolites, and the investigation of these materials in terms of the following:

  • Synthesis and characterization;
  • Powders, ceramics, thin films, functional membranes, nanomaterials;
  • Green chemistry;
  • Photocatalysis;
  • Antimicrobial activity;
  • Environmental protection;
  • Energy conversion.

We welcome the submission of full papers, short communications, and reviews.

Please submit your paper, selecting the journal Catalysts and the Special Issue “Innovative Functional Materials in Photocatalysis II” via the MDPI submission system. Please contact the Guest Editors or the journal Editor (maeve.yue@mdpi.com) if you have any queries. Our papers will be published on a rolling basis; we look forward to receiving your submissions.

Dr. Tamara B. Ivetić
Prof. Dr. Biljana F. Abramovic
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Catalysts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • metal oxides
  • metal chalcogenides
  • composite semiconductors
  • conjugated polymers
  • hybrid inorganic–organic materials
  • functional membranes
  • nanomaterials
  • green chemistry
  • advanced oxidation processes
  • photocatalysis
  • antimicrobial activity
  • environment protection
  • energy conversion

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 7693 KiB  
Article
Photodegradation of Wastewater Containing Organic Dyes Using Modified G-C3N4-Doped ZrO2 Nanostructures: Towards Safe Water for Human Beings
by Ahmed T. Mosleh, Fatemah F. Al-Harbi, Soumaya M. Gouadria, Samer H. Zyoud, Heba Y. Zahran, Mai S. A. Hussien and Ibrahim S. Yahia
Catalysts 2024, 14(1), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal14010042 - 07 Jan 2024
Viewed by 853
Abstract
Historically, the photocatalytic efficacy of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has been constrained by a rapid charge recombination rate and restricted sensitivity to visible light. To overcome these limitations and enhance the performance of g-C3N4, the [...] Read more.
Historically, the photocatalytic efficacy of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has been constrained by a rapid charge recombination rate and restricted sensitivity to visible light. To overcome these limitations and enhance the performance of g-C3N4, the strategic formation of heterojunctions with semiconductor materials is deemed the optimal approach. The present study employed a facile sonication-assisted pyrolysis method to synthesize a g-C3N4@ZrO2 nanocomposite photocatalyst. This hybrid material was characterized extensively using a comprehensive suite of analytical techniques, including XRD, SEM, EDX, FTIR, and UV-Vis DRS. A comparative analysis of photocatalytic applications under identical conditions was conducted for all synthesized materials, wherein they were subjected to UVc light irradiation. The photocatalytic degradation of various dye models, such as MB, EY, and a combination of dyes, was assessed using the prepared nanocomposites. The g-C3N4@ZrO2 photocatalysts showcased superior photocatalytic performance, with a particular variant, g-CNZ6, exhibiting remarkable activity. With a bandgap energy of 2.57 eV, g-CNZ6 achieved impressive degradation efficiencies of 96.5% for MB and 95.6% for EY within 40 min. Following previous studies, the superoxide radical anions (O2. and h+) were largely accountable for the degradation of MB. Therefore, the observed efficacy of the g-C3N4@ZrO2 nanocomposite photocatalyst can be attributed to the increased generation of these reactive species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Functional Materials in Photocatalysis, 2nd Edition)
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23 pages, 5227 KiB  
Article
Matrix Effects of Different Water Types on the Efficiency of Fumonisin B1 Removal by Photolysis and Photocatalysis Using Ternary- and Binary-Structured ZnO-Based Nanocrystallites
by Ivana Jevtić, Sandra Jakšić, Daniela Šojić Merkulov, Szabolcs Bognár, Biljana Abramović and Tamara Ivetić
Catalysts 2023, 13(2), 375; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13020375 - 08 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1203
Abstract
Several ternary- and binary-structured ZnO-based nanocrystallites (Zn2SnO4, Zn2TiO4, ZnO/SnO2, ZnO/TiO2) were synthesized by the solid-state method and first tested as photocatalysts in the removal of fumonisin B1 (FB1) [...] Read more.
Several ternary- and binary-structured ZnO-based nanocrystallites (Zn2SnO4, Zn2TiO4, ZnO/SnO2, ZnO/TiO2) were synthesized by the solid-state method and first tested as photocatalysts in the removal of fumonisin B1 (FB1) under UV irradiation. The phase composition and nanocrystalline dimensions (50–80 nm) were confirmed by X-ray diffraction and Raman analyses. Similar preparation procedures applied in the case of binary structures resulted in their uniform morphology consisting of spherical particles ranging from 100 nm to 1 µm in size. However, higher synthesis temperatures of ternary oxides contributed to the growth of particles up to 10 µm. The optical energy bands of the examined photocatalysts were in the range of 3.08–3.36 eV. The efficiency of photocatalysis was compared with the efficiency of direct and indirect (sensitized by UV/H2O2 or UV/S2O82−) photolysis. The matrix effect of the different water types (Danube River, ground, and tap water) on the removal efficiency of FB1 was investigated by applying direct and indirect photolysis, as well as in the presence of the Zn2SnO4 photocatalyst. The effects of inorganic anions (Cl, NO3, HCO3 and SO42−), cations (Ca2+ and Mg2+), and humic acid were also investigated, since they were identified as a major species in tap, ground, and river water. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Functional Materials in Photocatalysis, 2nd Edition)
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