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Applied Nano
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Nanoscale Solutions: Transformative Applications of Functionalized Nanomaterials in Environmental Remediation
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Nanoscale Solutions: Transformative Applications of Functionalized Nanomaterials in Environmental Remediation

A special issue of Applied Nano (ISSN 2673-3501).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2025 | Viewed by 8528

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Sara Cerra

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Interests: noble metal nanostructures; metal oxide nanoparticles; polymeric nanomaterials; nanostructured hybrid materials; nanomaterials synthesis and characterization; organometallic complexes; surface functionalization; nanomaterial applications
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ilaria Fratoddi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Interests: nanomaterials; metal nanoparticles; metal oxide nanoparticles; polymers; nanostructured polymeric materials; hybrid nanostructures; organometallic complexes; nanomaterials synthesis and characterization; nanomaterial applications
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are currently facing critical global challenges involving water contamination and soil and air pollution, which present extreme environmental and human health risks. Besides conventional methods for remediation (thermal treatment, pump-and-treat, chemical oxidation, etc.), nanoremediation presents promising applications due to its efficacy and cost-effectiveness.

This Special Issue explores cutting-edge developments at the intersection of nanotechnology and environmental science. This collection will highlight the innovative use of functionalized nanomaterials for tackling environmental challenges, offering insights into the design, synthesis, and application of nanoscale solutions. Research articles and reviews concerning the use of soft and hard functionalized nanomaterials (covalent and non-covalent), such as natural or synthetic polymers, inorganic nanoparticles (metal and metal oxide nanoparticles), carbon-based nanomaterials, and related nanocomposites for environmental remediation, are highly encouraged. The focus will extend across diverse areas, such as water purification and wastewater treatment, air quality improvement, and soil remediation, showcasing the versatility and efficacy of functionalized nanomaterials in addressing complex environmental issues. Through in-depth analyses and case studies, this Special Issue seeks to advance our understanding of the transformative potential of nanotechnology in creating sustainable solutions for a cleaner and healthier environment.

Dr. Sara Cerra
Dr. Ilaria Fratoddi
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. Applied Nano is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1000 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

  • functionalized nanomaterials
  • nanoparticles
  • nanostructured polymers
  • nanocomposites
  • environmental remediation
  • water remediation
  • soil remediation
  • air purification
  • nanotechnology applications

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research

6 pages, 630 KiB  
Editorial
Nanoscale Solutions: The Transformative Applications of Functionalized Nanomaterials in Environmental Remediation
by Sara Cerra and Ilaria Fratoddi
Appl. Nano 2024, 5(1), 14-19; https://doi.org/10.3390/applnano5010002 - 31 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1744
Abstract
Environmental pollution has become a pervasive and pressing issue in the modern world, mainly arising from human activities that release harmful substances into the air, water, and soil [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanoscale Solutions: Transformative Applications of Functionalized Nanomaterials in Environmental Remediation)
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Research

Jump to: Editorial

14 pages, 6550 KiB  
Article
Rapid Degradation of Organic Dyes by Nanostructured Gd2O3 Microspheres
by Carlos R. Michel
Appl. Nano 2025, 6(1), 1; https://doi.org/10.3390/applnano6010001 - 13 Jan 2025
Viewed by 951
Abstract
Pollution of freshwater by synthetic organic dyes is a major concern due to their high toxicity and mutagenicity. In this study, the degradation of Congo red (CR) and malachite green (MG) dyes was investigated using nanostructured Gd2O3. It was [...] Read more.
Pollution of freshwater by synthetic organic dyes is a major concern due to their high toxicity and mutagenicity. In this study, the degradation of Congo red (CR) and malachite green (MG) dyes was investigated using nanostructured Gd2O3. It was prepared using the coprecipitation method, using gadolinium nitrate and concentrated formic acid, with subsequent calcination at 600 °C. Its morphology corresponds to hollow porous microspheres with a size between 0.5 and 7.5 μm. The optical bandgap energy was determined by using the Tauc method, giving 4.8 eV. The degradation of the dyes was evaluated by UV-vis spectroscopy, which revealed that dissociative adsorption (in the dark) played a key role. It is explained by the cleavage and fragmentation of the organic molecules by hydroxyl radicals (•OH), superoxide radicals (•O2−) and other reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced on the surface of Gd2O3. For CR, the degradation percentage was ~56%, through dissociative adsorption, while UV light photocatalysis increased it to ~65%. For MG, these values were ~78% and ~91%, respectively. The difference in degradation percentages is explained in terms of the isoelectric point of solid (IEPS) of Gd2O3 and the electrical charge of the dyes. FTIR and XPS spectra provided evidence of the role of ROS in dye degradation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanoscale Solutions: Transformative Applications of Functionalized Nanomaterials in Environmental Remediation)
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32 pages, 7358 KiB  
Article
Retention of Engineered Nanoparticles in Drinking Water Treatment Processes: Laboratory and Pilot-Scale Experiments
by Norbert Konradt, Laura Schneider, Stefan Bianga, Detlef Schroden, Peter Janknecht and Georg Krekel
Appl. Nano 2024, 5(4), 279-310; https://doi.org/10.3390/applnano5040018 - 5 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1270
Abstract
While microparticles can be removed by a filtration step at a drinking water treatment plant (DWTP), engineered nanoparticles (ENPs), which are widely used in industry, commerce and households, pose a major problem due to their special properties, e.g., size, reactivity and polarity. In [...] Read more.
While microparticles can be removed by a filtration step at a drinking water treatment plant (DWTP), engineered nanoparticles (ENPs), which are widely used in industry, commerce and households, pose a major problem due to their special properties, e.g., size, reactivity and polarity. In addition, many ENPs exhibit toxic potential, which makes their presence in drinking water undesirable. Therefore, this study investigated the removal of ENPs in the laboratory and at a pilot-scale DWTP. Eight ENPs were synthesized and tested for stability in different types of water. Only three of them were stable in natural water: cetyltrimethylammonium bromide-coated gold (CTAB/AuNPs), polyvinylpyrrolidone-stabilized gold and silver nanoparticles (PVP/AuNPs, PVP/AgNPs). Their retention on quartz sand, silica gel and fresh anthracite was low, but CTAB/AuNPs could be retained on fresh river sand and thus should not overcome riverbank filtration, while PVP/AuNPs and PVP/AgNPs showed no retention and may be present in raw water. During ozonation, PVP/AuNPs remained stable while PVP/AgNPs were partially degraded. The advanced oxidation process (AOP) was less effective than ozone. PVP/AgNPs were almost completely retained on the pilot plant anthracite sand filter coated with manganese(IV) oxide and ferrihydrite from raw water treatment. PVP/AuNPs passed the filter with no retention. In contrast to PVP/AuNPs, PVP/AgNPs and CTAB/AuNPs were also retained on activated carbon. The integration of a flocculation step with iron(III) salts can improve ENP removal, with PVP/AuNPs requiring higher flocculant doses than PVP/AgNPs. PVP/AuNPs, in particular, are well-suited for testing the effectiveness of water treatment. Further data on the occurrence of stable ENPs in raw water and their behavior during water treatment are needed to perform a risk assessment and derive the measures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanoscale Solutions: Transformative Applications of Functionalized Nanomaterials in Environmental Remediation)
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15 pages, 3174 KiB  
Article
Biochar-Supported Titanium Oxide for the Photocatalytic Treatment of Orange II Sodium Salt
by Laury Kanku, Kassim Olasunkanmi Badmus and Fracois Wewers
Appl. Nano 2024, 5(3), 190-204; https://doi.org/10.3390/applnano5030013 - 19 Sep 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1581
Abstract
Recent improvements in advanced technology for toxic chemical remediation have involved the application of titanium oxide nanoparticles as a photocatalyst. However, the large energy bandgap associated with titanium oxide nanoparticles (3.0–3.20 eV) is a limitation for their application as a photocatalyst within the [...] Read more.
Recent improvements in advanced technology for toxic chemical remediation have involved the application of titanium oxide nanoparticles as a photocatalyst. However, the large energy bandgap associated with titanium oxide nanoparticles (3.0–3.20 eV) is a limitation for their application as a photocatalyst within the solar spectrum. Various structural modification methods have led to significant reductions in the energy bandgap but not without their disadvantages, such as electron recombination. In the current investigation, biochar was made from the leaves of an invasive plant (Acacia saligna) and subsequently applied as a support in the synthesis of titanium oxide nanoparticles. The characterization of biochar-supported titanium oxide nanoparticles was performed using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transformer infrared, X-ray diffraction, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analyses. The results showed that the titanium oxide was successfully immobilized on the biochar’s external surface. The synthesized biochar-supported titanium oxide nanoparticles exhibited the phenomenon of small hysteresis, which represents the typical type IV isotherm attributed to mesoporous materials with low porosity. Meanwhile, X-ray diffraction analysis revealed the presence of a mixture of rutile and anatase crystalline phase titanium oxide. The synthesis of biochar-supported titanium oxide nanoparticles was highly efficient in the degradation of Orange II Sodium dye under solar irradiation. Moreover, 83.5% degradation was achieved when the biochar-supported titanium oxide nanoparticles were used as photocatalysts in comparison with the reference titanium oxide, which only achieved 20% degradation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanoscale Solutions: Transformative Applications of Functionalized Nanomaterials in Environmental Remediation)
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28 pages, 4161 KiB  
Article
Application of Reduced Graphene Oxide-Zinc Oxide Nanocomposite in the Removal of Pb(II) and Cd(II) Contaminated Wastewater
by Moeng Geluk Motitswe, Kassim Olasunkanmi Badmus and Lindiwe Khotseng
Appl. Nano 2024, 5(3), 162-189; https://doi.org/10.3390/applnano5030012 - 9 Sep 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1958
Abstract
Toxic metal wastewater is a challenge for exposed terrestrial and aquatic environments, as well as the recyclability of the water, prompting inputs for the development of promising treatment methods. Consequently, the rGO/ZnONP nanocomposite was synthesized at room temperature for four hours and was [...] Read more.
Toxic metal wastewater is a challenge for exposed terrestrial and aquatic environments, as well as the recyclability of the water, prompting inputs for the development of promising treatment methods. Consequently, the rGO/ZnONP nanocomposite was synthesized at room temperature for four hours and was tested for the adsorption of cadmium and lead in wastewater. The optimized nanocomposite had the lowest band gap energy (2.69 eV), and functional group interactions were at 516, 1220, 1732, 3009, and 3460 cm−1. The nanocomposite showed good ZnO nanoparticle size distribution and separation on rGO surfaces. The nanocomposite’s D and G band intensities were almost the same, constituting the ZnO presence on rGO from the Raman spectrum. The adsorption equilibrium time for cadmium and lead was reached within 10 and 90 min with efficiencies of ~100%. Sips and Freundlich best fitted the cadmium and lead adsorption data (R2 ~ 1); therefore, the adsorption was a multilayer coverage for lead and a mixture of heterogenous and homogenous coverage for cadmium adsorption. Both adsorptions were best fitted by the pseudo-first-order model, suggesting the multilayer coverage dominance. The adsorbent was reused for three and seven times for cadmium and lead. The nanocomposite showed selectivity towards lead (95%) and cadmium (100%) in the interfering wastewater matrix. Conclusively, the nanocomposite may be embedded within upcoming lab-scale treatment plants, which could lead to further upscaling and it serving as an industrial wastewater treatment material. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanoscale Solutions: Transformative Applications of Functionalized Nanomaterials in Environmental Remediation)
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