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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Gajanan Sampatrao Ghodake

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Guest Editor

Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Dongguk University-Seoul, Medical Center Ilsan, Goyang-si 10326, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
Interests: pharmaceutics; nanoformulation; nanofertilizers

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Presently, we witness a worldwide increase in carbon footprint concerns from a wide range of industrial activities. Important issues to consider in research and developments are the effective use of natural resources and reducing waste generation during chemical processes. The nanotechnology field is one of the most significant scientific and engineering research advances of the 21^st century, and has the competence to contribute sustainable development goals since there are several emerging applications with great promise for greener chemical manufacturing. Research groups should pay attention to the use of renewable biopolymers as an alternative to conventional polymers in the future development of the nanotechnology field. The choice of safer precursors, environmentally benign conditions, and green solvents are essential to consider while developing safer methods and nanomaterials.

Green chemistry principles were originally designed by Paul Anastas and John Warner for providing the framework to design safer chemicals, processes, and products. The overall strategy suggested is to promote the development of new nano synthesis protocols and nanotechnologies that meet at least some principles of green chemistry and sustainable development goals.

Presently, significant progress so far has been reached in preparing biocompatible and biodegradable nanomaterials or nanocomposites. Another potential example in the field to consider is an exploration of biopolymers in the synthesis of metal nanoparticles as reducing and stabilizing agents and as an alternative to hazardous reagents.

This Special Issue targets the publication of well-composed original research or critical review papers that study some aspects of 12 green chemistry principles and other papers that show the continuous efforts in the development of nanomaterials succeeding sustainable development goals.

Dr. Gajanan Sampatrao Ghodake
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

green chemistry principles
nanosysnthesis
nanotechnologies
phytochemicals
safer chemicals
green solvents
biopolymers
safer polymers
safer therapeutics
drug-delivery
hyperthermia
tissue engineering
energy storage and conversion
sustainable development

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

14 pages, 3851 KiB

Open AccessArticle

H₂+CO₂ Synergistic Plasma Positioning Carboxyl Defects in g-C₃N₄ with Engineered Electronic Structure and Active Sites for Efficient Photocatalytic H₂ Evolution

by Daqian Wang, Zhihao Zhang, Shuchuan Xu, Ying Guo, Shifei Kang and Xijiang Chang

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(13), 7381; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23137381 - 02 Jul 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1547

Abstract

Defective functional-group-endowed polymer semiconductors, which have unique photoelectric properties and rapid carrier separation properties, are an emerging type of high-performance photocatalyst for various energy and environmental applications. However, traditional oxidation etching chemical methods struggle to introduce defects or produce special functional group structures gently and controllably, which limits the implementation and application of the defective functional group modification strategy. Here, with the surface carboxyl modification of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) photocatalyst as an example, we show for the first time the feasibility and precise modification potential of the non-thermal plasma method. In this method, the microwave plasma technique is employed to generate highly active plasma in a combined H₂+CO₂ gas environment. The plasma treatment allows for scalable production of high-quality defective carboxyl group-endowed g-C₃N₄ nanosheets with mesopores. The rapid H₂+CO₂ plasma immersion treatment can precisely tune the electronic and band structures of g-C₃N₄ nanosheets within 10 min. This conjoint approach also promotes charge-carrier separation and accelerates the photocatalyst-catalyzed H₂ evolution rate from 1.68 mmol h⁻¹g⁻¹ (raw g-C₃N₄) to 8.53 mmol h⁻¹g⁻¹ (H₂+CO₂-pCN) under Xenon lamp irradiation. The apparent quantum yield (AQY) of the H₂+CO₂-pCN with the presence of 5 wt.% Pt cocatalyst is 4.14% at 450 nm. Combined with density functional theory calculations, we illustrate that the synergistic N vacancy generation and carboxyl species grafting modifies raw g-C₃N₄ materials by introducing ideal defective carboxyl groups into the framework of heptazine ring g-C₃N₄, leading to significantly optimized electronic structure and active sites for efficient photocatalytic H₂ evolution. The 5.08-times enhancement in the photocatalytic H₂ evolution over the as-developed catalysts reveal the potential and maneuverability of the non-thermal plasma method in positioning carboxyl defects and mesoporous morphology. This work presents new understanding about the defect engineering mechanism in g-C₃N₄ semiconductors, and thus paves the way for rational design of effective polymeric photocatalysts through advanced defective functional group engineering techniques evolving CO₂ as the industrial carrier gas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Green Chemistry Principles to Nanoscience and Nanotechnology)

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Review

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24 pages, 3786 KiB

Open AccessReview

Insights from a Bibliometrics-Based Analysis of Publishing and Research Trends on Cerium Oxide from 1990 to 2020

by Charlotte L. Fleming, Jessie Wong, Mojtaba Golzan, Cindy Gunawan and Kristine C. McGrath

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(3), 2048; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24032048 - 20 Jan 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2167

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the literature for research trends on cerium oxide from 1990 to 2020 and identify gaps in knowledge in the emerging application(s) of CeONP. Bibliometric methods were used to identify themes in database searches from PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science Core Collection using SWIFT-Review, VOSviewer and SciMAT software programs. A systematic review was completed on published cerium oxide literature extracted from the Scopus database (n = 17,115), identifying themes relevant to its industrial, environmental and biomedical applications. A total of 172 publications were included in the systematic analysis and categorized into four time periods with research themes identified; “doping additives” (n = 5, 1990–1997), “catalysts” (n = 32, 1998–2005), “reactive oxygen species” (n = 66, 2006–2013) and “pathology” (n = 69, 2014–2020). China and the USA showed the highest number of citations and publications for cerium oxide research from 1990 to 2020. Longitudinal analysis showed CeONP has been extensively used for various applications due to its catalytic properties. In conclusion, this study showed the trend in research in CeONP over the past three decades with advancements in nanoparticle engineering like doping, and more recently surface modification or functionalization to further enhanced its antioxidant abilities. As a result of recent nanoparticle engineering developments, research into CeONP biological effects have highlighted its therapeutic potential for a range of human pathologies such as Alzheimer’s disease. Whilst research over the past three decades show the versatility of cerium oxide in industrial and environmental applications, there are still research opportunities to investigate the potential beneficial effects of CeONP in its application(s) on human health. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Green Chemistry Principles to Nanoscience and Nanotechnology)

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