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Challenges in Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Advanced Material
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Challenges in Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Advanced Material

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (8 November 2023) | Viewed by 3986

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Chunzheng Wu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China
Interests: material chemistry; nanochemistry; heterogeneous catalysis; photocatalysis
Dr. Zi-Yian Lim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Natural and Applied Sciences, Duke Kunshan University, Kunshan 215316, China
Interests: heterogeneous catalysis; nanoparticles; reaction engineering; green synthesis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Advanced materials with specific designs and superior properties could fulfill today’s growing demand for sophisticated technologies with better quality for an extensive range of applications in health, wealth, energy, and environment. However, with the vast increase in demand for various advanced materials, resource scarcity and environmental pollution have become two serious challenges. Using lithium as an example, as the key component in electric vehicle batteries, it is expected to face a shortage by 2025; meanwhile, the production and disposal of lithium-ion batteries can have a significant environmental impact due to the usage of toxic and non-renewable materials (e.g., LiCoO2, LiPF6, etc.). Therefore, there is a great demand to develop sustainable and eco-friendly alternative materials to achieve sustainability goals and realize a cleaner, greener, and more eco-friendly society.

This Special Issue aims to cover studies on the design, preparation, and application of sustainable and eco-friendly advanced materials. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  1. Preparation and application of biomass-derived materials;
  2. Preparation and applications of carbon materials;
  3. Development of degradable biodegradable polymer materials;
  4. Non-noble metal-based heterogeneous catalysts/electrocatalysts/photocatalysts;
  5. Green and sustainable nano/micro materials;
  6. Mass production of green and sustainable materials;
  7. Green and sustainable materials for biomedical, energy (batteries, catalysis, photovoltaics, etc.), and environmental (air/water purification, CO2 capture, etc.) applications.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Chunzheng Wu
Dr. Zi-Yian Lim
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. Sustainability 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 2400 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

  • sustainable materials
  • non-toxic materials
  • low-cost materials
  • non-precious metals
  • environmental applications
  • energy applications
  • biomedical applications

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 2979 KiB  
Article
Green Chemistry in Medical Applications: Preliminary Assessment of Kuzu Starch Films with Plant-Based Antiseptics
by Magda Morawska, Anita Kukułowicz and Joanna Brzeska
Sustainability 2023, 15(23), 16541; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152316541 - 04 Dec 2023
Viewed by 864
Abstract
The current state of the natural environment requires medical products, including dressings, to be manufactured in accordance with the principles of a sustainable economy. This assumption is perfectly met by dressings made of renewable materials and additionally filled with natural antiseptics. The use [...] Read more.
The current state of the natural environment requires medical products, including dressings, to be manufactured in accordance with the principles of a sustainable economy. This assumption is perfectly met by dressings made of renewable materials and additionally filled with natural antiseptics. The use of such plant compounds is consistent with the principles of green chemistry. In this work, films based on Kuzu starch with rooibos extract and chili pepper oil extract were prepared and tested. Starch foil with silver nanoparticles and foil without additives were used as a comparative material. The chemical structures (ATR-FTIR) of the materials obtained, their thermal (DSC) and mechanical properties (tensile strength, hardness), density, swelling, water vapor permeability, water solubility, and effects on bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 were examined. The Kuzu rooibos film had the lowest antimicrobial activity. At the same time, it was the most flexible foil and was characterized by having the best water vapor permeability and water absorption capacity. The starch film with chili extract was the weakest mechanically speaking, but it significantly inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 bacteria at a level similar to that of the film with silver nanoparticles. The preliminary tests carried out on the properties of Kuzu starch films with plant extracts from rooibos tea and chili peppers indicate that they may be suitable for further research on dressing materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges in Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Advanced Material)
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15 pages, 4503 KiB  
Article
Efficient Removal of Cr(VI) by Protonated Amino-Bamboo Char Prepared via Radiation Grafting: Behavior and Mechanism
by Yuan Zhao, Jie Gao, Tian Liang, Tao Chen, Xiaobing Han, Guowen Hu and Bing Li
Sustainability 2023, 15(18), 13560; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151813560 - 11 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 701
Abstract
Biochar is considered to be the most promising substrate for the preparation of environmentally functional materials. The modification of bamboo char can significantly improve the removal rate of toxic ions from wastewater; however, there are few reports that focus on the radiation grafting [...] Read more.
Biochar is considered to be the most promising substrate for the preparation of environmentally functional materials. The modification of bamboo char can significantly improve the removal rate of toxic ions from wastewater; however, there are few reports that focus on the radiation grafting method. Here, glyceride methacrylate (GMA) is successfully grafted onto bamboo char through electron beam radiation, followed by amination using the existing epoxide group in diethyltriamine, and finally, treated with hydrochloric acid to obtain protonated diethyltriamine-functionalized bamboo char (CDGBC). The results of IR, TG, XRD, and SEM prove the successful fabrication of a CDGBC biosorbent. The results show that the solution pH has a great effect on the adsorption capacity, and a maximum adsorption capacity of 169.13 mg/g is obtained at pH = 2 for Cr(VI). In addition, the adsorption behavior of Cr(VI) onto CDGBC is demonstrated to obey the pseudo-second-order kinetic and Freundlich isotherm models, and thermodynamic analysis exhibits that Cr(VI) adsorption is an endothermic spontaneous process. A possible adsorption mechanism based on the electrostatic interaction, reduction, and surface complexation is proposed, according to the obtained results. This work confirms that radiation-induced grafting modification can effectively transform biochar into a high-performance adsorbent for Cr(VI) removal, offering a new approach to synthesizing an efficient biosorbent. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges in Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Advanced Material)
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Review

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21 pages, 6938 KiB  
Review
Aqueous Organic Redox-Targeting Flow Batteries with Advanced Solid Materials: Current Status and Future Perspective
by Jin Ma, Sida Rong, Yichong Cai, Tidong Wang, Zheng Han and Ya Ji
Sustainability 2023, 15(21), 15635; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152115635 - 05 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1905
Abstract
Aqueous organic redox flow batteries (AORFBs) represent innovative and sustainable systems featuring decoupled energy capacity and power density; storing energy within organic redox-active materials. This design facilitates straightforward scalability, holding the potential for an affordable energy storage solution. However, AORFBs face challenges of [...] Read more.
Aqueous organic redox flow batteries (AORFBs) represent innovative and sustainable systems featuring decoupled energy capacity and power density; storing energy within organic redox-active materials. This design facilitates straightforward scalability, holding the potential for an affordable energy storage solution. However, AORFBs face challenges of unsatisfied energy density and stability. Redox-targeting (RT) reaction is a promising way to resolve these problems, which involves a closed-loop electrochemical–chemical cycle between soluble redox mediators and solid materials. Among all these systems, the aqueous organic redox-targeting system is the most promising due to its greater sustainability, safety, low cost, and excellent tunability when compared to non-aqueous or all-vanadium systems, especially when it comes to energy storage on a large scale. Firstly, various types of AORFBs and their characteristics are discussed and analyzed, followed by introducing the concept and the evolution of RT. In addition, advanced characterization techniques to analyze RT-based AORFBs are summarized. Finally, the challenges lying in aqueous organic redox-targeting flow batteries are stated and corresponding recommendations are provided. It is anticipated that AORFBs with advanced solid materials will provide a promising solution for large-scale energy storage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges in Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Advanced Material)
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