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Nanomaterials
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Nanomaterials for Environment Energy Harvesting, Conversion and Application
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Nanomaterials for Environment Energy Harvesting, Conversion and Application

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2024 | Viewed by 7636

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Yanmin Jia

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
School of Science, Xi’an University of Posts and Telecommunications, Xi’an 710121, China
Interests: piezocatalysis; mechanocatalysis; pyrocatalysis; photocatalysis; energy harvesting
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Through energy harvesting, useful energy is captured from waste, environmental, or mechanical sources and is converted into a usable form. Mechanical energy, magnetic energy, light, heat and electricity are the main types of essential energy that can be harvested for application in many fields, including environmental, medical, energy, and catalysis (e.g., to drive various kinds of chemical reactions). Nanomaterials, with high specific surface area due to their small particle size (<100 nm), provide new ways to catch, store and exchange energy, and provide an extensive range of resources to resolve future energy-related problems. Nanomaterial energy harvesting and conversion is a broad topic that includes established methods such as photovoltaics, piezoelectricity, triboelectricity, and thermoelectrics, as well as more recent technologies that convert mechanical energy, magnetic energy (magnetoelectricity) and cold–hot alternation waste heat (pyroelectricity) to electricity, even directly to chemical energy. In view of the low energy harvesting cost and high conversion efficiency, nanomaterials have potential in environmental, medical or energy applications in future.

This Special Issue will present comprehensive research outlining progress on environmental energy harvesting (including light, thermal, electric, magnetic and mechanical energy, etc.), conversion to electrical energy or chemical energy, and application in environmental, energy or medical fields of nanomaterials or nanostructures. We invite authors to contribute original research and review articles covering the current progress on nanomaterial energy harvesting, conversion and application.

Potential topics in both theoretical analysis and experimental research include, but are not limited to:

  1. Ferro/piezo/pyroelectric nanomaterials for piezocatalysis and pyrocatalysis;
  2. Mechano-chemical synthesis of nanoparticles;
  3. Nanomaterials with photoelectric energy conversion for photocatalysis or photovoltaics;
  4. Magnetic nanoparticles for energy harvesting and conversion;
  5. Nanoscale pyroelectric energy harvesting;
  6. Nanoscale piezoelectric energy harvesting;
  7. Nano friction generators or tribocatalysis;
  8. Nanomaterials for magnetocatalysis or magnetoelectrocatalysis;
  9. Nanoparticles for environmental, medical or energy application;
  10. Nanomaterials for energy harvesting and conversion.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Yanmin Jia
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. 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

  • mechano-chemical synthesis of nanoparticles
  • photocatalysis
  • pyrocatalysis
  • piezocatalysis
  • tribocatalysis
  • magnetocatalysis
  • ferro/pyroelectric nanomaterials
  • nanoparticles for environmental application
  • nanomaterials for medical application
  • nanomaterials for energy harvesting and conversion

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 4474 KiB  
Article
Boosting Piezocatalytic Performance of BaTiO3 by Tuning Defects at Room Temperature
by Donghui An, Renhong Liang, Hua Liu, Chao Zhou, Mao Ye, Renkui Zheng, Han Li and Shanming Ke
Nanomaterials 2024, 14(3), 276; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14030276 - 29 Jan 2024
Viewed by 815
Abstract
Defect engineering constitutes a widely-employed method of adjusting the electronic structure and properties of oxide materials. However, controlling defects at room temperature remains a significant challenge due to the considerable thermal stability of oxide materials. In this work, a facile room-temperature lithium reduction [...] Read more.
Defect engineering constitutes a widely-employed method of adjusting the electronic structure and properties of oxide materials. However, controlling defects at room temperature remains a significant challenge due to the considerable thermal stability of oxide materials. In this work, a facile room-temperature lithium reduction strategy is utilized to implant oxide defects into perovskite BaTiO3 (BTO) nanoparticles to enhance piezocatalytic properties. As a potential application, the piezocatalytic performance of defective BTO is examined. The reaction rate constant increases up to 0.1721 min−1, representing an approximate fourfold enhancement over pristine BTO. The effect of oxygen vacancies on piezocatalytic performance is discussed in detail. This work gives us a deeper understanding of vibration catalysis and provides a promising strategy for designing efficient multi-field catalytic systems in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Environment Energy Harvesting, Conversion and Application)
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13 pages, 3207 KiB  
Article
Geometrical Stabilities and Electronic Structures of Rh5 Nanoclusters on Rutile TiO2 (110) for Green Hydrogen Production
by Moteb Alotaibi
Nanomaterials 2024, 14(2), 191; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14020191 - 15 Jan 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 764
Abstract
Addressing the urgent need for sustainable energy sources, this study investigates the intricate relationship between rhodium (Rh5) nanoclusters and TiO2 rutile (110) surfaces, aiming to advance photocatalytic water splitting for green hydrogen production. Motivated by the imperative to transition from [...] Read more.
Addressing the urgent need for sustainable energy sources, this study investigates the intricate relationship between rhodium (Rh5) nanoclusters and TiO2 rutile (110) surfaces, aiming to advance photocatalytic water splitting for green hydrogen production. Motivated by the imperative to transition from conventional fossil fuels, this study employs density functional theory (DFT) with DFT-D3 and HSE06 hybrid functionals to analyse the geometrical stabilities and electronic structures of Rh5 nanoclusters on TiO2 rutile (110). TiO2, a prominent photocatalyst, faces challenges such as limited visible light absorption, leading researchers to explore noble metals like Rh as cocatalysts. Our results show that bipyramidal Rh5 nanoclusters exhibit enhanced stability and charge transfer when adsorbed on TiO2 rutile (110) compared to trapezoidal configurations. The most stable adsorption induces the oxidation of the nanocluster, altering the electronic structure of TiO2. Extending the analysis to defective TiO2 surfaces, this study explores the impact of Rh5 nanoclusters on oxygen vacancy formation, revealing the stabilisation of TiO2 and increased oxygen vacancy formation energy. This theoretical exploration contributes insights into the potential of Rh5 nanoclusters as efficient cocatalysts for TiO2-based photocatalytic systems, laying the foundation for experimental validations and the rational design of highly efficient photocatalysts for sustainable hydrogen production. The observed effects on electronic structures and oxygen vacancy formation emphasize the complex interactions between Rh5 nanoclusters and the TiO2 surface, guiding future research in the quest for clean energy alternatives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Environment Energy Harvesting, Conversion and Application)
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13 pages, 4348 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Catalytic Performance of Ag NP/0.95AgNbO3-0.05LiTaO3 Heterojunction from the Combination of Surface Plasma Resonance Effect and Piezoelectric Effect Using Facile Mechanical Milling
by Tianxiang Ren, Tufeng He, Zhenzhu Cao, Pengyue Xing, Xinglong Teng and Guorong Li
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(22), 2972; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13222972 - 18 Nov 2023
Viewed by 822
Abstract
An internal built electric field can suppress the recombination of electron–hole pairs and distinctly enhance the catalytic activity of a photocatalyst. Novel t-Ag/0.95AgNbO3-0.05LiTaO3 heterojunction was prepared by reducing silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) on the surface of the piezoelectric powder 0.95AgNbO [...] Read more.
An internal built electric field can suppress the recombination of electron–hole pairs and distinctly enhance the catalytic activity of a photocatalyst. Novel t-Ag/0.95AgNbO3-0.05LiTaO3 heterojunction was prepared by reducing silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) on the surface of the piezoelectric powder 0.95AgNbO3-0.05LiTaO3 (0.05-ANLT) using a simple mechanical milling method. The effects of milling time and excitation source used for the degradation of organic dye by heterojunction catalysts were investigated. The results demonstrate that the optimized 1.5-Ag/0.05-ANLT heterojunction removes 97% RhB within 40 min, which is 7.8 times higher than that of single piezoelectric catalysis and 25.4 times higher than that of single photocatalysis. The significant enhancement of photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the synergistic coupling of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect and the piezoelectric effect. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Environment Energy Harvesting, Conversion and Application)
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14 pages, 5699 KiB  
Article
Free Convection in a Square Ternary Hybrid Nanoliquid Chamber with Linearly Heating Adjacent Walls
by Vemula Rajesh and Mikhail Sheremet
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(21), 2860; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13212860 - 28 Oct 2023
Viewed by 810
Abstract
In this study, mathematical modeling of the energy transfer and flow characteristics of ternary nanoliquid in a square enclosure is performed. In the cavity considered, the left and bottom borders are warmed uniformly or non-uniformly when the rest of the borders are cooled. [...] Read more.
In this study, mathematical modeling of the energy transfer and flow characteristics of ternary nanoliquid in a square enclosure is performed. In the cavity considered, the left and bottom borders are warmed uniformly or non-uniformly when the rest of the borders are cooled. The robust finite element method with quads and triangles as elements is used to work out the control equations of the problem. The current study is validated against previously published works, and good agreement is shown. The isolines are investigated for various Rayleigh numbers at uniform and non-uniform thermal boundary conditions. The impact of ternary hybrid nanofluids on the mean Nusselt number at hot borders is explored in dependence on the Rayleigh number and nanoparticle concentration. A comparative study of different fluids for the mean Nusselt number at heated borders is also conducted and analyzed with appropriate graphs and tables. It has been shown that ternary nanofluids can be more effective compared to mono- and hybrid nanofluids, with a more essential growth of the energy transport rate with nanoadditives concentration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Environment Energy Harvesting, Conversion and Application)
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13 pages, 6457 KiB  
Article
A Bilayered Wood-Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):Polystyrene Sulfonate Hydrogel Interfacial Evaporator for Sustainable Solar-Driven Sewage Purification and Desalination
by Xinye Xu, Qi Zhao, Qi Liu, Junxiao Qiu, Shutong Yuan, Zhixin Wu, Ruping Yang, Jie Cao, Lina Wang, Jingkun Xu and Baoyang Lu
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(16), 2321; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13162321 - 12 Aug 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 907
Abstract
Solar-driven interfacial evaporation and purification is a promising solar energy conversion technology to produce clean water or solve water scarcity. Although wood-based photothermal materials have attracted particular interest in solar water purification and desalination due to their rapid water supply and great heat [...] Read more.
Solar-driven interfacial evaporation and purification is a promising solar energy conversion technology to produce clean water or solve water scarcity. Although wood-based photothermal materials have attracted particular interest in solar water purification and desalination due to their rapid water supply and great heat localization, challenges exist given their complicated processing methods and relatively poor stability. Herein, we propose a facile approach for fabricating a bilayered wood-poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (wood-PEDOT:PSS) hydrogel interfacial evaporator by direct drop-casting and dry-annealing. Benefiting from the unique combined merits of the wood-PEDOT:PSS hydrogel evaporator, i.e., excellent light absorption (~99.9%) and efficient photothermal conversion of nanofibrous PEDOT:PSS and the strong hydrophilicity and fast water transport from wood, the as-fabricated bilayered wood-PEDOT:PSS hydrogel evaporator demonstrates a remarkably high evaporation rate (~1.47 kg m−2 h−1) and high energy efficiency (~75.76%) at 1 kW m−2. We further demonstrate the practical applications of such an evaporator for sewage purification and desalination, showing outstanding performance stability and partial salt barrier capability against a continuous 10-day test in simulated seawater and an ultrahigh ion removal rate of 99.9% for metal ion-containing sewage. The design and fabrication of such novel, efficient wood-based interfacial evaporators pave the way for large-scale applications in solar water purification. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Environment Energy Harvesting, Conversion and Application)
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Review

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27 pages, 2902 KiB  
Review
Recent Progress of Biodegradable Polymer Package Materials: Nanotechnology Improving Both Oxygen and Water Vapor Barrier Performance
by Shuangshuang Yue, Tianwei Zhang, Shuanjin Wang, Dongmei Han, Sheng Huang, Min Xiao and Yuezhong Meng
Nanomaterials 2024, 14(4), 338; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14040338 - 09 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1737
Abstract
Biodegradable polymers have become a topic of great scientific and industrial interest due to their environmentally friendly nature. For the benefit of the market economy and environment, biodegradable materials should play a more critical role in packaging materials, which currently account for more [...] Read more.
Biodegradable polymers have become a topic of great scientific and industrial interest due to their environmentally friendly nature. For the benefit of the market economy and environment, biodegradable materials should play a more critical role in packaging materials, which currently account for more than 50% of plastic products. However, various challenges remain for biodegradable polymers for practical packaging applications. Particularly pertaining to the poor oxygen/moisture barrier issues, which greatly limit the application of current biodegradable polymers in food packaging. In this review, various strategies for barrier property improvement are summarized, such as chain architecture and crystallinity tailoring, melt blending, multi-layer co-extrusion, surface coating, and nanotechnology. These strategies have also been considered effective ways for overcoming the poor oxygen or water vapor barrier properties of representative biodegradable polymers in mainstream research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Environment Energy Harvesting, Conversion and Application)
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30 pages, 5989 KiB  
Review
Surface Oxygen Species in Metal Oxide Photoanodes for Solar Energy Conversion
by Jie Ouyang, Qi-Chao Lu, Sheng Shen and Shuang-Feng Yin
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(13), 1919; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13131919 - 23 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1327
Abstract
Converting and storing solar energy directly as chemical energy through photoelectrochemical devices are promising strategies to replace fossil fuels. Metal oxides are commonly used as photoanode materials, but they still encounter challenges such as limited light absorption, inefficient charge separation, sluggish surface reactions, [...] Read more.
Converting and storing solar energy directly as chemical energy through photoelectrochemical devices are promising strategies to replace fossil fuels. Metal oxides are commonly used as photoanode materials, but they still encounter challenges such as limited light absorption, inefficient charge separation, sluggish surface reactions, and insufficient stability. The regulation of surface oxygen species on metal oxide photoanodes has emerged as a critical strategy to modulate molecular and charge dynamics at the reaction interface. However, the precise role of surface oxygen species in metal oxide photoanodes remains ambiguous. The review focuses on elucidating the formation and regulation mechanisms of various surface oxygen species in metal oxides, their advantages and disadvantages in photoelectrochemical reactions, and the characterization methods employed to investigate them. Additionally, the article discusses emerging opportunities and potential hurdles in the regulation of surface oxygen species. By shedding light on the significance of surface oxygen species, this review aims to advance our understanding of their impact on metal oxide photoanodes, paving the way for the design of more efficient and stable photoelectrochemical devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials for Environment Energy Harvesting, Conversion and Application)
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