Submit to IJMS Review for IJMS Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Molecular Aspects in Catalytic Materials for Pollution Elimination and Green Chemistry 2.0

Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Physical Chemistry and Chemical Physics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2023) | Viewed by 7045

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Junjiang Zhu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan 430200, China
Interests: perovskite oxides; g-C3N4; porous materials; catalytic selective oxidation/hydrogenation; pollution control
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Environmental issues have attracted great attention given their links to a high quality of life, and the effective removal of environmental pollutants is a great challenge today. Such a challenge includes two topics: one is to remove the pollutants produced post-treatment, and the other is to synthesize chemicals via a green route, avoiding the production of pollutants in the process.

Catalytic technology is an effective way to mitigate some environmental issues, which can facilitate the conversion of pollutants to nontoxic or even useful chemicals. Thus, this Special Issue focuses on resolving such environmental problems via catalysis technology, including thermocatalysis, photocatalysis, electrocatalysis and photoelectrocatalysis, and research works relating to the catalytic removal of pollutants or the catalytic synthesis of chemicals via a green route are welcome.

This Special Issue on “Molecular Aspects in Catalytic Materials for Pollution Elimination and Green Chemistry” covers experimental and theoretical investigations, as well as reviews, perspectives, and viewpoints. All submissions of research articles should involve research at the molecular level as well as verified experiments.

Prof. Dr. Junjiang Zhu
Guest Editor

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. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. 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

pollution removal
green synthesis
catalytic technology
thermocatalysis
electrocatalysis
photocatalysis
photoelectrocatalysis

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

19 pages, 5237 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation of Tetracycline on the MnFe₂O₄/BGA Composite under Visible Light

by Xiaoyu Jiang, Qin Zhou and Yongfu Lian

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(11), 9378; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24119378 - 27 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1207

Abstract

In this work, the MnFe₂O₄/BGA (boron-doped graphene aerogel) composite prepared via the solvothermal method is applied as a photocatalyst to the degradation of tetracycline in the presence of peroxymonosulfate. The composite’s phase composition, morphology, valence state of elements, defect and pore structure were analyzed by XRD, SEM/TEM, XPS, Raman scattering and N₂ adsorption–desorption isotherms, respectively. Under the radiation of visible light, the experimental parameters, including the ratio of BGA to MnFe₂O₄, the dosages of MnFe₂O₄/BGA and PMS, and the initial pH and tetracycline concentration were optimized in line with the degradation of tetracycline. Under the optimized conditions, the degradation rate of tetracycline reached 92.15% within 60 min, whereas the degradation rate constant on MnFe₂O₄/BGA remained 4.1 × 10⁻² min⁻¹, which was 1.93 and 1.56 times of those on BGA and MnFe₂O₄, respectively. The largely enhanced photocatalytic activity of the MnFe₂O₄/BGA composite over MnFe₂O₄ and BGA could be ascribed to the formation of type I heterojunction on the interfaces of BGA and MnFe₂O₄, which leads to the efficient transfer and separation of photogenerated charge carriers. Transient photocurrent response and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests offered solid support to this assumption. In line with the active species trapping experiments, SO₄^•− and O₂^•− radicals are confirmed to play crucial roles in the rapid and efficient degradation of tetracycline, and accordingly, a photodegradation mechanism for the degradation of tetracycline on MnFe₂O₄/BGA is proposed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Aspects in Catalytic Materials for Pollution Elimination and Green Chemistry 2.0)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 2681 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Strong Metal Support Effect of Pt/g-C₃N₄ Photocatalysts for Boosting Photothermal Synergistic Degradation of Benzene

by Zhongcheng Huang, Xiaorong Cai, Shaohong Zang, Yixin Li, Dandan Zheng and Fuying Li

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(7), 6872; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24076872 - 06 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1685

Abstract

Catalysis is the most efficient and economical method for treating volatile organic pollutants (VOCs). Among the many materials that are used in engineering, platinized carbon nitride (Pt/g-C₃N₄) is an efficient and multifunctional catalyst which has strong light absorption and mass transfer capabilities, which enable it to be used in photocatalysis, thermal catalysis and photothermal synergistic catalysis for the degradation of benzene. In this work, Pt/g-C₃N₄ was prepared by four precursors for the photothermal synergistic catalytic degradation of benzene, which show different activities, and many tests were carried out to explore the possible reasons for the discrepancy. Among them, the Pt/g-C₃N₄ prepared from dicyanamide showed the highest activity and could convert benzene (300 ppm, 20 mL·min⁻¹) completely at 162 °C under solar light and 173 °C under visible light. The reaction temperature was reduced by nearly half compared to the traditional thermal catalytic degradation of benzene at about 300 °C. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Aspects in Catalytic Materials for Pollution Elimination and Green Chemistry 2.0)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 7326 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synthesis of Nitrogen and Phosphorus/Sulfur Co-Doped Carbon Xerogels for the Efficient Electrocatalytic Reduction of p-Nitrophenol

by Chaolong Wang, Dengxia Zhu, Huiting Bi, Zheng Zhang and Junjiang Zhu

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(3), 2432; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24032432 - 26 Jan 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1496

Abstract

Carbon xerogels co-doped with nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) or sulfur (S) were synthesized and employed as catalysts for the electrocatalytic reduction of p-nitrophenol (p-NP). The materials were prepared by first synthesizing N-doped carbon xerogels (NDCX) via the pyrolysis of organic gels, and then introducing P or S atoms to the NDCX by a vapor deposition method. The materials were characterized by various measurements including X-ray diffraction, N₂ physisorption, Transmission electron microscopy, Fourier Infrared spectrometer, and X-ray photoelectron spectra, which showed that N atoms were successfully doped to the carbon xerogels, and the co-doping of P or S atoms affected the existing status of N atoms. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) scanning manifested that the N and P co-doped materials, i.e., P-NDCX-1.0, was the most suitable catalyst for the reaction, showing an overpotential of −0.569 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) and a peak slop of 695.90 μA/V. The material was also stable in the reaction and only a 14 mV shift in the reduction peak overpotential was observed after running for 100 cycles. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Aspects in Catalytic Materials for Pollution Elimination and Green Chemistry 2.0)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

20 pages, 2090 KiB

Open AccessReview

Metal Oxide Nanostructures (MONs) as Photocatalysts for Ciprofloxacin Degradation

by Petronela Pascariu, Carmen Gherasim and Anton Airinei

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(11), 9564; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24119564 - 31 May 2023

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2232

Abstract

In recent years, organic pollutants have become a global problem due to their negative impact on human health and the environment. Photocatalysis is one of the most promising methods for the removal of organic pollutants from wastewater, and oxide semiconductor materials have proven to be among the best in this regard. This paper presents the evolution of the development of metal oxide nanostructures (MONs) as photocatalysts for ciprofloxacin degradation. It begins with an overview of the role of these materials in photocatalysis; then, it discusses methods of obtaining them. Then, a detailed review of the most important oxide semiconductors (ZnO, TiO₂, CuO, etc.) and alternatives for improving their photocatalytic performance is provided. Finally, a study of the degradation of ciprofloxacin in the presence of oxide semiconductor materials and the main factors affecting photocatalytic degradation is carried out. It is well known that antibiotics (in this case, ciprofloxacin) are toxic and non-biodegradable, which can pose a threat to the environment and human health. Antibiotic residues have several negative impacts, including antibiotic resistance and disruption of photosynthetic processes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Aspects in Catalytic Materials for Pollution Elimination and Green Chemistry 2.0)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Molecular Aspects in Catalytic Materials for Pollution Elimination and Green Chemistry 2.0

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (4 papers)

Research

Review

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI