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Nanomaterials
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Nanostructures for Wastewater Treatment and Energy Conversion
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Nanostructures for Wastewater Treatment and Energy Conversion

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy and Catalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 July 2024 | Viewed by 5869

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Mingyi Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory for Photonic and Electronic Bandgap Materials, Ministry of Education, School of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Harbin Normal University, Harbin 150025, China
Interests: photocatalysis; electrocatalysis; electrospinning; phthalocyanine; nanofiber

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, the world has faced great challenges in meeting the energy demand, increased energy consumption and growing environmental pollution. Over the past few decades, global warming due to greenhouse gas emissions has become an issue of increasing concern for governments around the world, leading to changes in energy policies and strategies. It is therefore important to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and increase the supply of clean, renewable energy. To overcome these challenges, researchers are working to create new functional nanomaterials and technologies. Although these emerging energy technologies are important to meet existing energy needs, new breakthroughs are needed to improve their performance. Nanostructured materials have a much higher specific surface area than bulk materials and have attracted much attention in recent years. Their nanosize improves the behaviour of the electrons being transported in nanostructures, in view of the electron mean free path due to the quantum confinement effect. This Special Issue will focus on the application of nanostructures in wastewater treatment and energy conversion/storage. Specific research areas of interest include photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, batteries, fuel cells and supercapacitors.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Mingyi Zhang
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

  • nanostructures
  • wastewater treatment
  • energy conversion
  • photocatalysis
  • electrocatalysis
  • batteries
  • fuel cells
  • supercapacitors

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

28 pages, 7359 KiB  
Article
Adsorption of Metal Ions from Single and Binary Aqueous Systems on Bio-Nanocomposite, Alginate-Clay
by Rachid Aziam, Daniela Simina Stefan, Safa Nouaa, Mohamed Chiban and Magdalena Boșomoiu
Nanomaterials 2024, 14(4), 362; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14040362 - 15 Feb 2024
Viewed by 626
Abstract
The aim of this work is to characterize and evaluate the retention of Cu2+ and Ni2+ from single and binary systems by alginate-Moroccan clay bio-composite with the utilization of calcium chloride as a cross-linking agent, using the ionotropic gelation method. The [...] Read more.
The aim of this work is to characterize and evaluate the retention of Cu2+ and Ni2+ from single and binary systems by alginate-Moroccan clay bio-composite with the utilization of calcium chloride as a cross-linking agent, using the ionotropic gelation method. The bio-nanocomposite was characterized by using a variety of techniques (SEM, EDX, XRD, and pHPZC). The efficiency of the adsorbent was investigated under different experimental conditions by varying parameters such as pH, initial concentration, and contact time. To demonstrate the adsorption kinetics, various kinetic models were tried and assessed, including pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, intraparticle diffusion, and Elovich models. The research results show that the adsorption process of Cu2+ and Ni2+ metal ions follows a pseudo-second-order kinetic model, and the corresponding rate constants were identified. To evaluate the parameters related to the adsorption process in both single and binary systems, different mathematical models of isotherms, such as Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin-Radushkevich, were investigated. The correlation coefficients obtained showed that the most suitable isotherm for describing this adsorption process is the Langmuir model. The process is considered to be physical and endothermic, as suggested by the positive values of ΔH° and ΔS°, indicating increased randomness at the solid/liquid interface during Cu2+ and Ni2+ adsorption. Furthermore, the spontaneity of the process is confirmed by the negative values of ∆G°. The bio-nanocomposite beads demonstrated a maximum adsorption capacity of 370.37 mg/g for Ni2+ and 454.54 mg/g for Cu2+ in the single system. In the binary system, the maximum adsorption capacities were observed to be 357.14 mg/g for Ni2+ and 370.37 mg/g for Cu2+. There is significant evidence for the use of alginate-Moroccan clay bio-nanocomposite as a cost-effective alternative adsorbent for the efficient removal of metal ions in single and binary systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructures for Wastewater Treatment and Energy Conversion)
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12 pages, 2774 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Lithium Storage Performance of α-MoO3/CNTs Composite Cathode
by Dawei Sheng, Ang Gao, Xiaoxu Liu and Qiang Zhang
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(15), 2272; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13152272 - 07 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 754
Abstract
Orthorhombic molybdenum oxide (α-MoO3), as a one-layered pseudocapacitive material, has attracted widespread attention due to its high theoretical lithium storage specific capacity (279 mAh/g) for lithium-ion batteries’ cathode. Nevertheless, low conductivity, slack reaction kinetics, and large volume change during Li+ [...] Read more.
Orthorhombic molybdenum oxide (α-MoO3), as a one-layered pseudocapacitive material, has attracted widespread attention due to its high theoretical lithium storage specific capacity (279 mAh/g) for lithium-ion batteries’ cathode. Nevertheless, low conductivity, slack reaction kinetics, and large volume change during Li+ ions intercalation and deintercalation seriously limit the practical application of α-MoO3. Herein, we added a small number of CNTs (1.76%) to solve these problems in a one-step hydrothermal process for preparing the α-MoO3/CNTs composite. Because of the influence of CNTs, the α-MoO3 nanobelt in the α-MoO3/CNTs composite had a larger interlayer spacing, which provided more active sites and faster reaction kinetics for lithium storage. In addition, CNTs formed a three-dimensional conductive network between α-MoO3 nanobelts, enhanced the electrical conductivity of the composite, accelerated the electron conduction, shortened the ion transport path, and alleviated the structural fragmentation caused by the volume expansion during the α-MoO3 intercalation and deintercalation of Li+ ions. Therefore, the α-MoO3/CNTs composite cathode had a significantly higher rate performance and cycle life. After 150 cycles, the pure α-MoO3 cathode had almost no energy storage, but α-MoO3/CNTs composite cathode still retained 93 mAh/g specific capacity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructures for Wastewater Treatment and Energy Conversion)
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23 pages, 5962 KiB  
Article
Performance of Pristine versus Magnetized Orange Peels Biochar Adapted to Adsorptive Removal of Daunorubicin: Eco-Structuring, Kinetics and Equilibrium Studies
by Ahmed S. El-Shafie, Farahnaz G. Barah, Maha Abouseada and Marwa El-Azazy
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(9), 1444; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13091444 - 23 Apr 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1319
Abstract
Drugs and pharmaceuticals are an emergent class of aquatic contaminants. The existence of these pollutants in aquatic bodies is currently raising escalating concerns because of their negative impact on the ecosystem. This study investigated the efficacy of two sorbents derived from orange peels [...] Read more.
Drugs and pharmaceuticals are an emergent class of aquatic contaminants. The existence of these pollutants in aquatic bodies is currently raising escalating concerns because of their negative impact on the ecosystem. This study investigated the efficacy of two sorbents derived from orange peels (OP) biochar (OPBC) for the removal of the antineoplastic drug daunorubicin (DNB) from pharmaceutical wastewater. The adsorbents included pristine (OPBC) and magnetite (Fe3O4)-impregnated (MAG-OPBC) biochars. Waste-derived materials offer a sustainable and cost-effective solution to wastewater bioremediation. The results showed that impregnation with Fe3O4 altered the crystallization degree and increased the surface area from 6.99 m2/g in OPBC to 60.76 m2/g in the case of MAG-OPBC. Placket–Burman Design (PBD) was employed to conduct batch adsorption experiments. The removal efficiency of MAG-OPBC (98.51%) was higher compared to OPBC (86.46%). DNB adsorption onto OPBC followed the D–R isotherm, compared to the Langmuir isotherm in the case of MAG-OPBC. The maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) was 172.43 mg/g for MAG-OPBC and 83.75 mg/g for OPBC. The adsorption kinetics for both sorbents fitted well with the pseudo-second-order (PSO) model. The results indicate that MAG-OPBC is a promising adsorbent for treating pharmaceutical wastewater. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructures for Wastewater Treatment and Energy Conversion)
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14 pages, 4879 KiB  
Article
Design of Ni(OH)2 Nanosheets@NiMoO4 Nanofibers’ Hierarchical Structure for Asymmetric Supercapacitors
by Junzhu Li, Xin Chang, Xuejiao Zhou and Mingyi Zhang
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(22), 4079; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12224079 - 19 Nov 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1255
Abstract
Transition−metal−based materials show great promise for energy conversion and storage due to their excellent chemical properties, low cost, and excellent natural properties. In this paper, through simple strategies such as classical electrospinning, air calcination, and the one−step hydrothermal method, a large area of [...] Read more.
Transition−metal−based materials show great promise for energy conversion and storage due to their excellent chemical properties, low cost, and excellent natural properties. In this paper, through simple strategies such as classical electrospinning, air calcination, and the one−step hydrothermal method, a large area of Ni(OH)2 nanosheets were grown on NiMoO4 nanofibers, forming NiMoO4@Ni(OH)2 nanofibers. The one−dimensional nanostructure was distributed with loose nanosheets, and this beneficial morphology made charge−transfer and diffusion more rapid, so the newly developed material showed good capacitance and conductivity. Under the most suitable experimental conditions, the optimal electrode exhibited the highest specific capacitance (1293 F/g at 1 A/g) and considerable rate capability (56.8% at 10 A/g) under typical test conditions. Most interestingly, the corresponding asymmetrical capacitors exhibited excellent electrochemical cycle stability, maintaining 77% of the original capacitance. NiMoO4@Ni(OH)2 nanofibers were verified to be simple to prepare and to have good performances as energy−storage devices within this experiment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructures for Wastewater Treatment and Energy Conversion)
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12 pages, 3482 KiB  
Article
One-Dimensional CoMoP Nanostructures as Bifunctional Electrodes for Overall Water Splitting
by Xin Chang, Jun Yan, Xinyao Ding, Yaozu Jia, Shijie Li and Mingyi Zhang
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(21), 3886; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12213886 - 03 Nov 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1447
Abstract
As high-quality substitutes for conventional catalysts, the bifunctional catalytic properties of the coating of transition-metal-based materials are pivotal for improving water-splitting efficiency. Herein, cobalt-molybdenum bimetallic phosphide nanofibers (CoMoP NFs) were synthesized via a series of facile strategies, which are divided into pyrolysis electrospun [...] Read more.
As high-quality substitutes for conventional catalysts, the bifunctional catalytic properties of the coating of transition-metal-based materials are pivotal for improving water-splitting efficiency. Herein, cobalt-molybdenum bimetallic phosphide nanofibers (CoMoP NFs) were synthesized via a series of facile strategies, which are divided into pyrolysis electrospun PAN and metal salts, to obtain one-dimensional morphology and a gas-solid phosphating precursor. The obtained CoMoP NFs catalyst has superior catalytic activity performance in 1M KOH. Serving as an oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalyst, the electrode of the CoMoP NFs affords different kinds of current densities at 50 mA cm−2 and 100 mA cm−2, with low overpotentials of 362 and 391 mV, respectively. In addition, the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance of the CoMoP NFs mainly shows when under a low overpotential of 126 mV, which can deliver a current density of 10 mA cm−2. In order to further detect the stability of the catalyst, we used multiple cyclic voltammetry and chronopotentiometry tests for OERs and HERs, which maintain performance and carry a current density of 10 mA cm−2 for longer. As an integrated high-performance bifunctional electrode for overall water splitting, the CoMoP NFs only require 1.75 V@10 mA cm−2 for 40 h. This work highlights a facile method to create an electrocatalyst with fiber nanostructures which possesses excellent activity as an alkaline electrolyte. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructures for Wastewater Treatment and Energy Conversion)
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