Advanced Functional Materials for Water Treatment: Challenges and Opportunities
A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Green Materials".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 April 2026
Special Issue Editor
Interests: functional materials; nano-hybrid materials; water treatment; solar steam generation; environmental sensors; flexible wearable devices
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Water treatment is central to overcoming global water scarcity and pollution challenges. This Special Issue focuses specifically on the role of advanced functional materials—such as nanomaterials, polymers, catalytic composites, and smart membranes—in transforming water purification, desalination, and wastewater reuse processes. These materials offer innovative solutions for enhanced filtration, pollutant degradation, salt resistance, and real-time monitoring, addressing critical issues in both industrial and domestic water management.
We invite the submission of original research articles, reviews, and communications that explore the design, application, and mechanistic insights of functional materials relevant to water treatment. Topics include, but are not limited to the following:
- Novel materials for catalytic and photocatalytic degradation of pollutants;
- Advanced membranes for filtration and desalination;
- Adsorbents and hybrid systems for contaminant removal;
- Materials enabling water reuse and recycling;
- Sustainable and anti-fouling material technologies;
- Functional material-based sensors for water quality monitoring.
This Issue aims to gather cutting-edge research that bridges material innovation and practical implementation, supporting progress toward efficient and sustainable water treatment systems worldwide.
Dr. Xiaoyuan Zhang
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. Materials 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 2600 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
- functional materials
- water treatment
- wastewater reuse
- desalination
- advanced oxidation processes
- membrane technology
- water quality monitoring
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