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Micromachines
Special Issues
Sustainable Materials for Energy and Environmental Applications
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Sustainable Materials for Energy and Environmental Applications

A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X). This special issue belongs to the section "C：Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 March 2024) | Viewed by 13144

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Arun Thirumurugan

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Guest Editor
Sede Vallenar, Universidad de ATACAMA, Vallenar 1610000, Chile
Interests: nanomaterials; energy; environmental applications
Prof. Dr. Sathish Kumar Kamaraj

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centro de Investigación en Ciencia Aplicada y Tecnología Avanzada, Unidad Altamira-IPN, Carretera Tampico-Puerto Industrial Altamira Km 14.5, C. Manzano, Industrial Altamira, Altamira 89600, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Interests: bioenergy; regenerative fuel cells; bioelectricity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. R. Udayabhaskar

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Guest Editor
Departamento de Mecánica Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana, José Pedro Alessandri 1242, Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile
Interests: solide oxide cells; renewable energy; nanophotonics; graphene; Raman spectroscopy
Dr. Ramesh Raju

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Guest Editor
Department of Electrical and Nanoengineering, Aalto University, Tietotie 3, 02150 Espoo, Finland
Interests: 2D materials; energy; optoelectronics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Environmental sustainability fulfils our duty to safeguard and preserve the world's ecosystems and environmental assets to maintain health and welfare. The most efficient use of our natural resources, renewable energy generation, re-utilization and circular economic systems are important factors in a sustainable environment. The progress in the preparation of numerous nanomaterials including metals, metal oxides, 2D materials, carbon-based materials, and their composites through sustainable green methods and their efficient performance in various applications shows a promising development toward environmental sustainability. The major research areas included in this theme are materials science, energy production, energy conversion, energy storage, environmental science, microbiology, biotechnology, biochemistry, and agriculture science. This Special Issue's purpose is to discuss the recent development in the utilization of various nanomaterials for sustainable energy and environmental applications, including bio-microfluidic and piezoelectric materials for microfluidics, solar cells, batteries, supercapacitors, fuel cells, photocatalysts, dye degradation, water purification, bioremediation, air purification, and any other bio-related applications.

Dr. Arun Thirumurugan
Dr. Sathish Kumar Kamaraj
Dr. R. Udayabhaskar
Dr. Ramesh Raju
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. Micromachines 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 2600 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

  • supercapacitor
  • nanomaterials synthesis
  • batteries
  • photocatalysts
  • bio-related applications
  • renewable energy
  • piezoelectric materials
  • smart devices
  • environmental sustainability

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

13 pages, 6162 KiB  
Article
Amine-Impregnated Dendritic Mesoporous Silica for the Adsorption of Formaldehyde
by Ji Myeong Lee, Misun Kang, June-Seo Kim and Jae Young Bae
Micromachines 2024, 15(1), 30; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi15010030 - 22 Dec 2023
Viewed by 900
Abstract
To adsorb and remove formaldehyde, which is a harmful volatile organic chemical (VOC) detected indoors, an alkylamine was introduced into the substrate as a formaldehyde adsorbent. In this study, Tetraethylenepentaamine (TEPA) was introduced into the mesoporous silica using the amine impregnation method. Since [...] Read more.
To adsorb and remove formaldehyde, which is a harmful volatile organic chemical (VOC) detected indoors, an alkylamine was introduced into the substrate as a formaldehyde adsorbent. In this study, Tetraethylenepentaamine (TEPA) was introduced into the mesoporous silica using the amine impregnation method. Since the impregnated alkylamine can block the pores of the silica substrate, the pore size and pore volume are very important factors for its use as a substrate for an adsorbent. Focusing on the substrate’s pore properties, Santa Barbara Amorphous-15 (SBA-15) was chosen as a conventional one-dimensional pore-structured mesoporous silica, and dendritic mesoporous silica (DMS) as a three-dimensional pore-structured mesoporous silica. To 1 g each of silica substrate DMS and SBA-15, 0, 0.5, 1.5, and 2.5 g of TEPA were introduced. A fixed concentration and amount of formaldehyde gas was flowed through the adsorbent and then the adsorbent was changed to the 2,4-Dinitrophenylhydrazine (2,4-DNPH) cartridge to adsorb the remaining formaldehyde. According to the methods recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH), the formaldehyde captured by 2,4-DNPH was analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). A comparison of DMS and SBA-15 in the amine impregnation method shows that not only surface area, but also large pore size and high pore volume, contribute to the formaldehyde adsorption ability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Materials for Energy and Environmental Applications)
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12 pages, 2625 KiB  
Article
Cr2S3-Cr2O3/Poly-2-aminobenzene-1-thiol as a Highly Photocatalytic Material for Green Hydrogen Generation from Sewage Water
by Mohamed Rabia, Asmaa M. Elsayed and Maha Abdallah Alnuwaiser
Micromachines 2023, 14(8), 1567; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14081567 - 07 Aug 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 844
Abstract
This study highlights the utilization of the Cr2S3-Cr2O3/P2ABT nanocomposite photoelectrode for efficient and highly sensitive photon absorption, enabling the generation of green hydrogen through the production of hot electrons upon illumination. The nanocomposite is synthesized [...] Read more.
This study highlights the utilization of the Cr2S3-Cr2O3/P2ABT nanocomposite photoelectrode for efficient and highly sensitive photon absorption, enabling the generation of green hydrogen through the production of hot electrons upon illumination. The nanocomposite is synthesized via a one-pot reaction using K2Cr2O7 and 2-aminobenzene-1-thiol monomer, and the presence of Cr2S3-Cr2O3 is confirmed by XRD and XPS analysis within the composite. The optical properties of the Cr2S3-Cr2O3/poly-2-aminobenzene-1-thiol composite exhibit wide spectral coverage from UV to IR, with a bandgap of 1.6 eV. The diverse morphological behavior observed in the composite correlates with its optical properties, with the cleft spherical particles of the pure polymer transforming into rod-like structures embedded within the polymer matrix. The generated hydrogen gas demonstrates an impressive efficiency of 40.5 mole/10.cm2.h through electrochemical testing. The current density (Jph) values are evaluated under different light frequencies using optical filters ranging from 730 to 340 nm, resulting in Jph values of 0.012 and 0.014 mA.cm−2, respectively. These findings present a promising avenue as green hydrogen for industrial applications, leveraging the potential of the Cr2S3-Cr2O3/P2ABT nanocomposite photoelectrode. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Materials for Energy and Environmental Applications)
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13 pages, 19512 KiB  
Article
Highly Efficient Solar-Light-Active Ag-Decorated g-C3N4 Composite Photocatalysts for the Degradation of Methyl Orange Dye
by Sakthivel Kumaravel, Chandramoorthy Chandrasatheesh, Govindasamy Palanisamy, Jintae Lee, Imran Hasan, Saranraj Kumaravel, Balakrishna Avula, Uma Devi Pongiya and Krishnakumar Balu
Micromachines 2023, 14(7), 1454; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14071454 - 20 Jul 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1296
Abstract
In this study, we utilized calcination and simple impregnation methods to successfully fabricate bare g-C3N4 (GCN) and x% Ag/g-C3N4 (x% AgGCN) composite photocatalysts with various weight percentages (x = 1, 3, 5, and 7 wt.%). The synthesized [...] Read more.
In this study, we utilized calcination and simple impregnation methods to successfully fabricate bare g-C3N4 (GCN) and x% Ag/g-C3N4 (x% AgGCN) composite photocatalysts with various weight percentages (x = 1, 3, 5, and 7 wt.%). The synthesized bare and composite photocatalysts were analyzed to illustrate their phase formation, functional group, morphology, and optical properties utilizing XRD, FT-IR, UV-Vis DRS, PL, FE-SEM, and the EDS. The photodegradation rate of MO under solar light irradiation was measured, and the 5% AgGCN composite photocatalyst showed higher photocatalytic activity (99%), which is very high compared to other bare and composite photocatalysts. The MO dye degradation rate constant with the 5% AgGCN photocatalyst exhibits 14.83 times better photocatalytic activity compared to the bare GCN catalyst. This photocatalyst showed good efficiency in the degradation of MO dye and demonstrated cycling stability even in the 5th successive photocatalytic reaction cycle. The higher photocatalytic activity of the 5% AgGCN composite catalyst for the degradation of MO dye is due to the interaction of Ag with GCN and the localized surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect of Ag. The scavenger study results indicate that O2●− radicals play a major role in MO dye degradation. A possible charge-transfer mechanism is proposed to explain the solar-light-driven photocatalyst of GCN. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Materials for Energy and Environmental Applications)
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9 pages, 4475 KiB  
Article
Self-Powered Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Security Applications
by Prabavathi Munirathinam and Arunkumar Chandrasekhar
Micromachines 2023, 14(3), 592; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14030592 - 01 Mar 2023
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 1761
Abstract
Valuable jewels, documents, and files left in hotel rooms by guests can be stolen at any time by an unauthorized person. This could have a serious psychological and economic impact on the guests. The house/hotel owners should make efforts to prevent theft from [...] Read more.
Valuable jewels, documents, and files left in hotel rooms by guests can be stolen at any time by an unauthorized person. This could have a serious psychological and economic impact on the guests. The house/hotel owners should make efforts to prevent theft from occurring. In this study, a self-powered sliding-mode triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is used as a sensor on a drawer. It is fixed to the side of the drawer and works in the lateral sliding mode. The electricity generated by the device during the push–pull action of the draw is ~125 V and F~12.5 µA. An analysis of the electrical performance was carried out using PET, paper, and nitrile as sliding materials. The electrical output from the device is used to notify the guest or hotel owner of any theft by an unidentified individual via Arduino and node MCU devices. Finally, this device can be helpful at night and can be extended using different materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Materials for Energy and Environmental Applications)
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16 pages, 33534 KiB  
Article
ZnO/Graphene Composite from Solvent-Exfoliated Few-Layer Graphene Nanosheets for Photocatalytic Dye Degradation under Sunlight Irradiation
by Vasanthi Venkidusamy, Sivanantham Nallusamy, Gopalakrishnan Nammalvar, Ramakrishnan Veerabahu, Arun Thirumurugan, Chidhambaram Natarajan, Shanmuga Sundar Dhanabalan, Durga Prasad Pabba, Carolina Venegas Abarzúa and Sathish-Kumar Kamaraj
Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 189; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010189 - 12 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1760
Abstract
ZnO/graphene nanocomposites were prepared using a facile approach. Graphene nanosheets were prepared by ultrasonication-based liquid phase exfoliation of graphite powder in a low boiling point organic solvent, 1,2-Dichloroethane, for the preparation of ZnO/graphene nanocomposites. Structural properties of the synthesized ZnO/graphene nanocomposites were studied [...] Read more.
ZnO/graphene nanocomposites were prepared using a facile approach. Graphene nanosheets were prepared by ultrasonication-based liquid phase exfoliation of graphite powder in a low boiling point organic solvent, 1,2-Dichloroethane, for the preparation of ZnO/graphene nanocomposites. Structural properties of the synthesized ZnO/graphene nanocomposites were studied through powder XRD and micro-Raman analysis. The characteristic Raman active modes of ZnO and graphene present in the micro-Raman spectra ensured the formation of ZnO/graphene nanocomposite and it is inferred that the graphene sheets in the composites were few layers in nature. Increasing the concentration of graphene influenced the surface morphology of the ZnO nanoparticles and a flower shape ZnO was formed on the graphene nanosheets of the composite with high graphene concentration. The efficiencies of the samples for the photocatalytic degradation of Methylene Blue dye under sunlight irradiation were investigated and 97% degradation efficiency was observed. The stability of the nanocomposites was evaluated by performing five cycles, and 92% degradation efficiency was maintained. The observed results were compared with that of ZnO/graphene composite derived from other methods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Materials for Energy and Environmental Applications)
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Review

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25 pages, 3518 KiB  
Review
Environmental, Economic, and Social Aspects of Human Urine Valorization through Microbial Fuel Cells from the Circular Economy Perspective
by Mariana Martínez-Castrejón, Jazmin A. López-Díaz, Omar Solorza-Feria, Oscar Talavera-Mendoza, América L. Rodríguez-Herrera, Osbelia Alcaraz-Morales and Giovanni Hernández-Flores
Micromachines 2022, 13(12), 2239; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13122239 - 16 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2187
Abstract
Population growth increases the challenge of meeting basic human needs, such as water, a limited resource. Consumption habits and water pollution have compromised natural resources to unsustainable levels. Sustainable effluent treatment practices, such as decentralized systems focused on energy, nutrients, and water recovery, [...] Read more.
Population growth increases the challenge of meeting basic human needs, such as water, a limited resource. Consumption habits and water pollution have compromised natural resources to unsustainable levels. Sustainable effluent treatment practices, such as decentralized systems focused on energy, nutrients, and water recovery, have attracted the attention of the scientific community. Human urine (HU) is a physiological liquid waste whose main component is water (~95%). HU has a significant amount of nutrients, such as N, P, K, and organic matter, which are usually lacking in fecal coliforms. Therefore, the possibility exists of recovering nutrients and energy from HU using sustainable and non-sustainable technologies. Treating HU in bioelectrochemical systems (BES) is a novel alternative to obtaining byproducts from this effluent more sustainably than in electrochemical systems. Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are an interesting example, contributing to HU revalorization from unwanted waste into a valuable resource of nutrients, energy, and water. Even when urine-operated MFCs have not generated attractive potential outputs or produced considerable amounts of bioelectricity, this review emphasizes HU advantages as nutrients or water sources. The aim of this review was to analyze the current development of BES for HU treatment based on the water circular economy, discussing challenges and perspectives researchers might encounter. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Materials for Energy and Environmental Applications)
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31 pages, 9249 KiB  
Review
MXene/Ferrite Magnetic Nanocomposites for Electrochemical Supercapacitor Applications
by Arun Thirumurugan, Ananthakumar Ramadoss, Shanmuga Sundar Dhanabalan, Sathish-Kumar Kamaraj, Natarajan Chidhambaram, Suyambrakasam Gobalakrishnan, Carolina Venegas Abarzúa, Yerko Alejandro Reyes Caamaño, Rednam Udayabhaskar and Mauricio J. Morel
Micromachines 2022, 13(10), 1792; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi13101792 - 20 Oct 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3251
Abstract
MXene has been identified as a new emerging material for various applications including energy storage, electronics, and bio-related due to its wider physicochemical characteristics. Further the formation of hybrid composites of MXene with other materials makes them interesting to utilize in multifunctional applications. [...] Read more.
MXene has been identified as a new emerging material for various applications including energy storage, electronics, and bio-related due to its wider physicochemical characteristics. Further the formation of hybrid composites of MXene with other materials makes them interesting to utilize in multifunctional applications. The selection of magnetic nanomaterials for the formation of nanocomposite with MXene would be interesting for the utilization of magnetic characteristics along with MXene. However, the selection of the magnetic nanomaterials is important, as the magnetic characteristics of the ferrites vary with the stoichiometric composition of metal ions, particle shape and size. The selection of the electrolyte is also important for electrochemical energy storage applications, as the electrolyte could influence the electrochemical performance. Further, the external magnetic field also could influence the electrochemical performance. This review briefly discusses the synthesis method of MXene, and ferrite magnetic nanoparticles and their composite formation. We also discussed the recent progress made on the MXene/ferrite nanocomposite for potential applications in electrochemical supercapacitor applications. The possibility of magnetic field-assisted supercapacitor applications with electrolyte and electrode materials are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Materials for Energy and Environmental Applications)
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