Advances in Metal Ion Research and Applications

A special issue of Inorganics (ISSN 2304-6740). This special issue belongs to the section "Inorganic Solid-State Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 2373

Special Issue Editor

1. School of Physical Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
2. School of Physical Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Interests: materials physics; metal–ligand interactions; surface–metal interactions; computational metal modeling; ion dynamics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Metal ions are ubiquitously present in nature and play critical roles in numerous physical, chemical, and biological processes. Their unique characteristics, particularly their positive charge, confer distinctive chemical reactivity and coordination properties. These properties enable metal ions to participate in a wide range of interactions, making them indispensable in various fields such as environmental remediation, catalysis, energy conversion, biomedical applications, nanotechnology, materials science, agriculture, optics, and electronics.

The study of metal ions and their interactions is vital for advancing our understanding of the underlying mechanisms that govern catalytic, environmental, and biological processes. The ability to manipulate metal ion behavior has led to innovations in multiple disciplines, driving scientific progress in areas ranging from efficient energy storage/conversion to the development of advanced materials and therapeutic agents. The diverse and versatile nature of metal ions continues to inspire significant research efforts, bridging fundamental science and applied technology.

This Special Issue aims to explore the diverse roles and applications of metal ions across various scientific and technological domains. We seek to highlight cutting-edge research that enhances our understanding of the chemical, physical, and biological behaviors of metal ions, with a particular focus on their interactions with other molecules, materials, and environments. This collection of articles will contribute to advancing our knowledge in key areas such as catalysis, environmental protection, biomedical applications, and nanotechnology.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome to be submitted. Research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Metal ion-based materials for energy storage (e.g., batteries, supercapacitors);
  • Biological and biomedical applications of metal ions (e.g., drug delivery, imaging agents, enzyme mimicry);
  • Metal ions in environmental remediation and pollution control (e.g., water treatment, desalination, CO2 capture);
  • Metal ions in catalytic processes and energy conversion (e.g., electrochemical reactions, fuel cells, hydrogenation);
  • Metal ion interactions with nanomaterials for sensing and diagnostics;
  • Development of novel methods for metal ion detection and characterization;
  • Advances in the synthesis and characterization of metal ion-based nanomaterials;
  • Computational modeling of metal ion behavior in materials and biological systems;
  • Coordination chemistry and molecular interactions of metal ions in complex systems;
  • Advances in the understanding of metal ion interactions in materials science and electronics.

We look forward to receiving your contributions and to collaborating on this exciting exploration of the diverse roles of metal ions in modern science and technology.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Surfaces.

Dr. Liuhua Mu
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. Inorganics 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 2200 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

  • water treatment
  • metal complexes
  • metal ion detection
  • surface interactions
  • nanomaterial design
  • catalytic mechanisms
  • biomedical applications
  • ligand-metal interactions
  • environmental remediation
 

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

21 pages, 2572 KB  
Article
Comparative Removal Properties of Sodium Magadiite and Its Protonic Form on Basic-Blue 41 from Contaminated Aqueous Solution
by Thamer S. Alraddadi, Mohd Gulfam Alam, Rawan Al-Faze, Saheed A. Popoola, Souad Rakass, Hicham Oudghiri Hassani and Fethi Kooli
Inorganics 2025, 13(9), 303; https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics13090303 - 9 Sep 2025
Viewed by 357
Abstract
Sodium magadiite (Na-Mgd) was hydrothermally prepared and converted to its protonic (H-Mgd) form by reaction with hydrochloric (HCl) solution. The obtained products were studied as adsorbents for basic blue 41 (BB-41) removal from polluted aqueous solution. Na-Mgd and H-Mgd were characterized by different [...] Read more.
Sodium magadiite (Na-Mgd) was hydrothermally prepared and converted to its protonic (H-Mgd) form by reaction with hydrochloric (HCl) solution. The obtained products were studied as adsorbents for basic blue 41 (BB-41) removal from polluted aqueous solution. Na-Mgd and H-Mgd were characterized by different techniques. Powder X-ray (PXRD) diffraction data confirmed a pure Na-Mag phase and its conversion to acidic form (H-Mgd) with shift in d001 value from 1.54 nm to 1.12 nm. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) data supported the exchange of Na cations by protons for H-Mag. 29Si magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS-NMR) indicated a change in the local environment of silicon nucleus when Na-Mgd was treated with HCl solution. The BB-41 removal dyes were investigated throughout the batch process. Effects of selected parameters, for example, the adsorbent dosage, pH of the BB-41 solution, pH of the H-Mag solid, and starting concentration, were explored. The equilibrium data were fitted to the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. The maxima removal capacities of Na-Mgd and H-Mgd were 219 mg/g and 114 mg/g, respectively. The regeneration and reusability tests were performed using initial concentrations of 50 mg/L and 200 mg/L for seven cycles. The efficiency was maintained for 5 to 6 cycles with a decline of 10% using low initial concentration; however, a decline of efficiency to 30 to 50% was achieved when a higher initial concentration was employed after 3 to 4 regeneration tests for Na-Mgd and H-Mgd samples. Adsorber batch design using the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm parameters was used to predict its performance for commercial usage. The predicted masses of H-Mgd were higher than those of Na-Mgd to treat different effluent volumes contaminated with 200 mg/L of BB-41 dyes at desired removal percentages. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Metal Ion Research and Applications)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

16 pages, 7190 KB  
Article
The Influences of π-Conjugated Aliphatic Chains in Ionic Liquids of Antimony Pentachloride with Pyridine Imidazolium Hybrid Salts: A DFT Study
by Manuel Luque-Román, Jesús Baldenebro-López, José J. Campos-Gaxiola, Adriana Cruz-Enríquez, Carlos A. Peñuelas, Alberto Báez-Castro, Rody Soto-Rojo, Tomás Delgado-Montiel, Samuel Soto-Acosta and Daniel Glossman-Mitnik
Inorganics 2025, 13(8), 269; https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics13080269 - 16 Aug 2025
Viewed by 536
Abstract
A theoretical study was performed using Density Functional Theory (DFT) to investigate the impact of π-conjugated aliphatic chain growth on the chemical and electronic properties of hybrid antimony pentachloride salts with pyridine- and imidazolium-based cations. Ten molecular systems were optimized to determine their [...] Read more.
A theoretical study was performed using Density Functional Theory (DFT) to investigate the impact of π-conjugated aliphatic chain growth on the chemical and electronic properties of hybrid antimony pentachloride salts with pyridine- and imidazolium-based cations. Ten molecular systems were optimized to determine their ground-state geometry. Using conceptual DFT, parameters such as chemical hardness, electrophilicity index, electroaccepting power, and electrodonating power were studied. The energy gap was obtained for all ten molecular systems, ranging from −4.038 to −3.706 eV as the chain length increased, favoring intramolecular charge transfer in long-chain systems. Natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis showed charge redistribution between anion and cation as the π-conjugated aliphatic chain grows. At the same time, non-covalent interaction (NCI) studies revealed key attractions and repulsive interactions, such as H···Cl and Cl···π, which are modulated by chain length. These results demonstrate that the structural modification of the cation allows for the fine-tuning of the electronic properties of ionic liquids (ILs). Increasing the conjugated aliphatic chain length was observed to reduce the chemical hardness and electrophilicity index, as well as affecting the Egap of the molecular systems. This work demonstrates that there is an optimal size for the inorganic ion, allowing it to form an optimal IL compound. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Metal Ion Research and Applications)
Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 2363 KB  
Article
The Effect of Central Metal Ions (Dy, Er, Ni, and V) on the Structural and HSA-Binding Properties of 2-Hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde Semicarbazone Complexes
by Violeta Jevtovic, Jelena M. Živković, Aleksandra A. Rakić, Aljazi Abdullah Alrashidi, Maha Awjan Alreshidi, Elham A. Alzahrani, Odeh A. O. Alshammari, Mostafa Aly Hussien and Dušan Dimić
Inorganics 2025, 13(3), 95; https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics13030095 - 20 Mar 2025
Viewed by 974
Abstract
2-Hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde semicarbazone (HMBS) is a multidentate ligand with interesting coordination behavior that depends on the central metal ion and the overall complex geometry. In this contribution, the structural characteristics of five HMBS-containing complexes with different metal ions (Dy, Er, Ni, and V) were [...] Read more.
2-Hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde semicarbazone (HMBS) is a multidentate ligand with interesting coordination behavior that depends on the central metal ion and the overall complex geometry. In this contribution, the structural characteristics of five HMBS-containing complexes with different metal ions (Dy, Er, Ni, and V) were investigated. Four binuclear and one mononuclear complex were selected from the Cambridge Structural Database. The crystallographic structures and intermolecular interactions in the solid state were analyzed, and the effect of central metal ions was elucidated. The different contributions of the most numerous contacts were explained by examining additional ligands in the structure. Density functional theory (DFT) optimizations were performed for the selected complexes, and the applicability of different computational methods was discussed. The Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules (QTAIMs) approach was employed to identify and quantify interactions in nickel and vanadium complexes, highlighting the role of weak intermolecular interactions between ligands in stabilizing the overall structure. Molecular docking studies of the interaction between these complexes and Human Serum Albumin (HSA) demonstrated that all compounds bind within the active pocket of the protein. The overall size and presence of aromatic rings emerged as key factors in the formation of stabilizing interactions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Metal Ion Research and Applications)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop