Advanced Nanomaterials for a Cleaner Environment and Environmental Health

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Nanoscience and Nanotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2024 | Viewed by 5932

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Jiangsu Province for Chemical Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
Interests: photocatalysis; electrocatalysis; advanced oxidation technology; antibacterial; functional materials; graphitic carbon nitride

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Environment and Resource Utilization, Ministry of Education, School of Resources and Environmental, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China
Interests: new environmental functional materials; technological innovation of water treatment; water pollution control of river/lake basin

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Multifunctional nanomaterials have high surface–volume ratios, efficient electron transfer and abundant unsaturated surface atoms at the nanoscale. Their excellent structures can significantly improve their advanced oxidation activity, showing efficient performance in the treatment of environmental pollutants and ecological remediation. In addition, the surface engineering, interface engineering and strain engineering tuning of multifunctional nanomaterials can easily lead to the increase in surface active centers. The synergistic effect and electronic modulation of these nanomaterials can greatly improve their performance in adsorption, photocatalysis, electrocatalysis and PMS activation, which is effectively applied to the treatment of various pollutants. From the perspective of material science research and practical engineering applications, functional nanomaterials offer infinite possibilities for creating a cleaner environment. In addition to pollutant treatment, multifunctional nanomaterials can also be used in the field of environmental health, such as antibacterials, in disease therapy and in cosmetic medicine, which is also important for a cleaner environment.

Many kinds of nanomaterials have been used in environmental remediation in various aspects. Among them, carbonaceous nanomaterials have become popular recently because of their unique carrier mobility, low microstructure and abundance. Through morphology regulation and heteroatom doping, efficient carbonaceous nanomaterials can be constructed from aspects of large surface area, light absorption capacity and electronic band structure, which can be used in the photocatalytic/electrocatalytic oxidation of organic pollutants as well as sterilization. Moreover, other functional nanomaterials, such as metal oxides, perovskite, frame materials and polymers also have the application potential in advanced oxidation technology, which is useful for environmental protection.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to describe the development of nano-functional materials and the latest progress in various environmental applications from the perspective of basic and application and to provide a strategic platform for creating a cleaner environment. Authors are invited to present original research and review articles that will stimulate the continuing efforts in this field.

Prof. Dr. Huan Chen
Prof. Dr. Xianchuan Xie
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. Nanomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2900 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

  • photocatalysis
  • electrocatalysis
  • adsorption
  • advanced oxidation technology
  • Fenton
  • pollutants treatment
  • wastewater treatment
  • ecological remediation
  • antibacterial
  • environmental health
  • carbon materials
  • transition metal materials

Published Papers (4 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

13 pages, 2356 KiB  
Article
Interfacial Charge Transfer Effects of MoS2/α-Fe2O3 Nano-Heterojunction and Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution under Visible-Light Irradiation
by Tsung-Mo Tien and Edward L. Chen
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(20), 2763; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13202763 - 15 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 974
Abstract
Researchers have made efforts to develop high-productivity photocatalysts for photocatalytic hydrogen production to reduce the problem of a lack of energy. Bulk semiconductor photocatalysts mainly endure particular limitations, such as low visible light application, a quick recombination rate of electron–hole pairs, and poor [...] Read more.
Researchers have made efforts to develop high-productivity photocatalysts for photocatalytic hydrogen production to reduce the problem of a lack of energy. Bulk semiconductor photocatalysts mainly endure particular limitations, such as low visible light application, a quick recombination rate of electron–hole pairs, and poor photocatalytic efficiency. The major challenge is to improve solar-light-driven heterostructure photocatalysts that are highly active and stable under the photocatalytic system. In this study, the proposed nano-heterojunction exhibits a great capacity for hydrogen production (871.2 μmol g−1 h−1), which is over 8.1-fold and 12.3-fold higher than that of the bare MoS2 and bare α-Fe2O3 samples, respectively. It is demonstrated that the MoS2/α-Fe2O3 heterojunction gives rise to an enhanced visible light response and accelerated photoinduced charge carrier separation. This work provides an improved visible light absorption efficiency and a narrowed energy band gap, and presents a “highway” for electron–hole pairs to promote transfer and inhibit the combination of photoinduced charge carriers for the utilization of nano-heterojunction photocatalysts in the field of hydrogen production. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 2043 KiB  
Article
A Thorough Examination of the Solution Conditions and the Use of Carbon Nanoparticles Made from Commercial Mesquite Charcoal as a Successful Sorbent for Water Remediation
by Tarig G. Ibrahim, Rasmiah S. Almufarij, Babiker Y. Abdulkhair, Rasha S. Ramadan, Mohamed S. Eltoum and Mohamed E. Abd Elaziz
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(9), 1485; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13091485 - 27 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1219
Abstract
Water pollution has invaded seas, rivers, and tap water worldwide. This work employed commercial Mesquite charcoal as a low-cost precursor for fabricating Mesquite carbon nanoparticles (MUCNPs) using a ball-milling process. The scanning electron energy-dispersive microscopy results for MUCNPs revealed a particle size range [...] Read more.
Water pollution has invaded seas, rivers, and tap water worldwide. This work employed commercial Mesquite charcoal as a low-cost precursor for fabricating Mesquite carbon nanoparticles (MUCNPs) using a ball-milling process. The scanning electron energy-dispersive microscopy results for MUCNPs revealed a particle size range of 52.4–75.0 nm. The particles were composed mainly of carbon with trace amounts of aluminum, potassium, calcium, titanium, and zinc. The X-ray diffraction peaks at 26.76 and 43.28 2θ° ascribed to the (002) and (100) planes indicated a crystalized graphite phase. Furthermore, the lack of FT-IR vibrations above 3000 cm−1 showed that the MUCNPs were not functionalized. The MUCNPs’ pore diameter, volume, and surface area were 114.5 Ǻ, 0.363 cm3 g−1, and 113.45 m2 g−1. The batch technique was utilized to investigate MUCNPs’ effectiveness in removing chlorohexidine gluconate (CHDNG) from water, which took 90 min to achieve equilibrium and had an adsorption capacity of 65.8 mg g−1. The adsorption of CHDNG followed pseudo-second-order kinetics, with the rate-limiting step being diffusion in the liquid film. The Langmuir isotherm dominated the CHDNG adsorption on the MUCNPs with a correlation coefficient of 0.99. The thermodynamic studies revealed that CHDNG adsorption onto the MUCNPs was exothermic and favorable, and its spontaneity increased inversely with CHDNG concentration. The ball-milling-made MUCNPs demonstrated consistent efficiency through regeneration–reuse cycles. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 3704 KiB  
Article
Aramid Nanofibers/Reduced Graphene Oxide Composite Electrodes with High Mechanical Properties
by Jingyi Wang, Shaojie Lu, Mingyu Ye, Xiaowan Zhan, Hongbing Jia, Xin Liao and Antonio Francisco Arcanjo de Araújo Melo
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(1), 103; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13010103 - 25 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1676
Abstract
In this work, aramid nanofibers (ANFs)/reduced graphene oxide (ANFs/RGO) film electrodes were prepared by vacuum-assisted filtration, followed by hydroiodic acid reduction. Compared with thermal reduced ANFs/RGO, these as-prepared film electrodes exhibit a combination of mechanical and electrochemical properties with a tensile strength of [...] Read more.
In this work, aramid nanofibers (ANFs)/reduced graphene oxide (ANFs/RGO) film electrodes were prepared by vacuum-assisted filtration, followed by hydroiodic acid reduction. Compared with thermal reduced ANFs/RGO, these as-prepared film electrodes exhibit a combination of mechanical and electrochemical properties with a tensile strength of 184.5 MPa and a volumetric specific capacitance of 134.4 F/cm3 at a current density of 0.125 mA/cm2, respectively. In addition, the film electrodes also show a superior cycle life with 94.6% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles. This kind of free-standing film electrode may have huge potential for flexible energy-storage devices. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 2266 KiB  
Article
The Use of Pyrolytic Char Derived from Waste Tires in the Removal of Malachite Green from Dyeing Wastewater
by Dongliang Ji, Didi Gai, Yikun Xu, Zhaoqin Huang and Peitao Zhao
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(23), 4325; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12234325 - 05 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1158
Abstract
The organic dye malachite green (MG) poses a potential risk of cancer and fertility loss in humans and aquatic organisms. This study focused on a modified pyrolytic char (PC) derived from waste tires to efficiently remove MG from wastewater. Modified PC has rich [...] Read more.
The organic dye malachite green (MG) poses a potential risk of cancer and fertility loss in humans and aquatic organisms. This study focused on a modified pyrolytic char (PC) derived from waste tires to efficiently remove MG from wastewater. Modified PC has rich -OH functional groups, higher BET (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller) surfaces of 74.4, 64.95, and 67.31 m2/g, and larger pore volumes of 0.52, 0.47, and 0.62 cm3/g for NaOH, Na2CO3, and CaO modification, respectively. The pseudo-second-order model fit the adsorption well, and the maximum equilibrium adsorption capacity was 937.8 mg/g for PC after CaO activation (CaO-PC). NaOH-modified PC (NaOH-PC) showed the best fit with the Langmuir model (R2 = 0.918). It is suggested that alkali-modified waste tire pyrolytic char could be a potential adsorbent for removing MG from dye-containing wastewater. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop