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Synthesis, Characterization, or Applications of Novel Catalytic Nanoparticles

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A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanostructured Catalysts".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 22429

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Yuanhua Sang

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Guest Editor

Institute of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China
Interests: nanomaterials for energy conversion and application based on the photocatalysis; heterostructures; external field enhanced photocatalysis; magnetic field enhanced photocatalysis

Prof. Dr. Zupeng Chen

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Guest Editor

College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Interests: heterogeneous catalysis; nanocatalysis; single-atom catalysis; photo(electron)catalysis; water splitting; CO₂ reduction; selective hydrogenation; coupling reactions; biomass conversions

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Catalysis is one of the most important topics in material science. It is an outstanding route for the control of chemical reactions through changing the kinetics based on the specific physical–chemical properties of materials, especially for nano-sized materials. Recently, there has been great advancement in this subfield during the progress of nanomaterial science. For instance, photocatalytic water splitting is an encouraging strategy for solar energy conversion. Many factors, including light absorption, charge separation, reaction activity, have been extensively studied. Based on the improvement of catalytic property, the application has been extended to CO₂ reduction, N₂ reduction, as well as traditional organic synthesis. Similarly, the electrochemical process for the above catalytic process is also attractive. The different initial energy provides a higher energy density for the potential practical application. The various strategies, such as surface facet modification, band structure modification, and external field assistance, have been areas of interest for a while. The recent progress is encouraged to be reported to further improve this subfield. This Special Issue aims to cover the recent progress and trends in the synthesis, characterization, and applications of novel heterogeneous catalysts.

Prof. Dr. Yuanhua Sang
Prof. Dr. Zupeng Chen
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. Catalysts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2700 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

nanocatalysis
heterogeneous catalysis
photocatalysis
water splitting
CO2 reduction
N2 reduction
organic synthesis
charge separation
external field enhancement
catalytic activity
electrochemical reaction

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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23 pages, 11229 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Lanthanum Doping on the Photocatalytic and Antibacterial Capacities of Mg_0.33Ni_0.33Co_0.33Fe₂O₄ Nanoparticles

by Mariam Rabaa, Malak Mezher, Amani Aridi, Daoud Naoufal, Mahmoud I. Khalil, Ramadan Awad and Waleed Abdeen

Catalysts 2023, 13(4), 693; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal13040693 - 02 Apr 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1548

Abstract

The increase in environmental pollution, especially water pollution, has intensified the requirement for new strategies for the treatment of water sources. Furthermore, the improved properties of nano-ferrites permit their usage in wastewater treatment. In this regard, novel Mg_0.33Ni_0.33Co_0.33La_xFe_2−xO₄ nanoparticles (NPs), where 0.00≤x≤0.08, were synthesized to test their photocatalytic, antibacterial and antibiofilm activities. The structural and optical properties of the prepared NPs were investigated by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-Vis spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) analysis. As La content increases, the bandgap energy increases, whereas the particle size decreases. The photocatalytic activity of the prepared NPs is evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under sunlight irradiation. Superior activity is exhibited by Mg_0.33Ni_0.33Co_0.33La_0.01Fe_1.99O₄ NPs. The influence of catalyst dosage, pH, temperature and addition of graphene (Gr) on the photodegradation reaction was studied. Increasing the pH and temperature improved the rate of the photodegradation reaction. The antibacterial and antibiofilm activities of the NPs were assessed against Escherichia coli, Leclercia adecarboxylata, Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecium. Mg_0.33Ni_0.33Co_0.33Fe₂O₄ NPs inhibited bacterial growth. They had bacteriostatic activity on all isolates, with a greater effect on Gram-positive bacteria. All tested nano-ferrites had significant antibiofilm activities against some biofilms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis, Characterization, or Applications of Novel Catalytic Nanoparticles)

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12 pages, 3914 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Influence of Wurtzite ZnO Morphology on Piezophototronic Effect in Photocatalysis

by Xiaowen Su, Xiaolei Zhao, Chao Cui, Ning Xi, Xiao Li Zhang, Hong Liu, Xiaowen Yu and Yuanhua Sang

Catalysts 2022, 12(9), 946; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal12090946 - 25 Aug 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1537

Abstract

A piezoelectric field promotes the photocatalytic activity of a photocatalyst by helping separating photo-generated charge carriers. Wurtzite phase ZnO is a typical photocatalyst with a piezoelectric property, thus self-assisted photocatalysis with ZnO based on the piezophototronic effect can be achieved. ZnO nanorods or nanowires with a clear c-axis have been well studied, while other morphologies have not been fully discussed. In this work, we prepared wurtzite phase ZnO with four different morphologies. By comparing their photocatalytic activity for degradation of Rhodamine B under the same mechanical energy source provided by ultrasound, the effect of morphology and exposed facets on photo-induced charge separation were highlighted. The ZnO nanowire photocatalyst delivered an impressive improvement in photocatalytic efficiency when ultrasound driven, suggesting that the morphology-related piezophototronic effect had a positive effect on separation of photo-generated charge carriers, and more exposed active facets benefitted the utilization of charge carriers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis, Characterization, or Applications of Novel Catalytic Nanoparticles)

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16 pages, 4043 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ni-H-Beta Catalysts for Ethylene Oligomerization: Impact of Parent Cation on Ni Loading, Speciation, and Siting

by Joseph McCaig and H. Henry Lamb

Catalysts 2022, 12(8), 824; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal12080824 - 27 Jul 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1755

Abstract

Ni-H-Beta catalysts for ethylene oligomerization (EO) were prepared by ion exchange of NH₄-Beta and H-Beta zeolites with aqueous Ni(NO₃)₂ and characterized by H₂-temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), NH₃-temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), and diffuse-reflectance infrared Fourier-transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS). Quadruple exchange of NH₄-Beta at 70 °C resulted in 2.5 wt.% Ni loading corresponding to a Ni²⁺/framework aluminum (FAl) molar ratio of 0.52. [NiOH]⁺ and H⁺ are the primary charge-compensating cations in the uncalcined catalyst, as evidenced by TPR and DRIFTS. Subsequent calcination at 550 °C in air yielded a Ni-H-Beta catalyst containing primarily bare Ni²⁺ ions bonded to framework oxygens. Quadruple exchange of H-Beta at 70 °C gave 2.0 wt.% Ni loading (Ni²⁺/FAl = 0.41). After calcination at 550 °C, the resulting Ni-H-Beta catalyst comprises a mixture of bare Ni²⁺ ions: [NiOH]⁺ and NiO species. The relative abundance of [NiOH]⁺ increases with the number of exchanges. In situ pretreatment at 500 °C in flowing He converted the [NiOH]⁺ species to bare Ni²⁺ ions via dehydration. The bare Ni²⁺ ions interact strongly with the Beta framework as evidenced by a perturbed antisymmetric T-O-T vibration at 945 cm⁻¹. DRIFT spectra of CO adsorbed at 20 °C indicate that the Ni²⁺ ions occupy two distinct exchange positions. The results of EO testing at 225 °C and 11 bar (ethylene) suggested that the specific Ni²⁺ species initially presented (e.g., bare Ni²⁺, [NiOH]⁺) did not significantly affect the catalytic performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis, Characterization, or Applications of Novel Catalytic Nanoparticles)

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Review

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27 pages, 1217 KiB

Open AccessReview

Classification, Synthetic, and Characterization Approaches to Nanoparticles, and Their Applications in Various Fields of Nanotechnology: A Review

by Yousaf Khan, Haleema Sadia, Syed Zeeshan Ali Shah, Muhammad Naeem Khan, Amjad Ali Shah, Naimat Ullah, Muhammad Farhat Ullah, Humaira Bibi, Omar T. Bafakeeh, Nidhal Ben Khedher, Sayed M. Eldin, Bandar M. Fadhl and Muhammad Ijaz Khan

Catalysts 2022, 12(11), 1386; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal12111386 - 08 Nov 2022

Cited by 77 | Viewed by 16776

Abstract

Nanoparticles typically have dimensions of less than 100 nm. Scientists around the world have recently become interested in nanotechnology because of its potential applications in a wide range of fields, including catalysis, gas sensing, renewable energy, electronics, medicine, diagnostics, medication delivery, cosmetics, the construction industry, and the food industry. The sizes and forms of nanoparticles (NPs) are the primary determinants of their properties. Nanoparticles’ unique characteristics may be explored for use in electronics (transistors, LEDs, reusable catalysts), energy (oil recovery), medicine (imaging, tumor detection, drug administration), and more. For the aforementioned applications, the synthesis of nanoparticles with an appropriate size, structure, monodispersity, and morphology is essential. New procedures have been developed in nanotechnology that are safe for the environment and can be used to reliably create nanoparticles and nanomaterials. This research aims to illustrate top-down and bottom-up strategies for nanomaterial production, and numerous characterization methodologies, nanoparticle features, and sector-specific applications of nanotechnology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis, Characterization, or Applications of Novel Catalytic Nanoparticles)

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