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Carbon-Based Materials: Applications for Energy, Water Cleaning, Sensing and Environment

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Carbon Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2027 | Viewed by 802

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Guest Editor
Centro de Física Aplicada y Tecnología Avanzada, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Boulevard Juriquilla 3001, Querétaro 76230, Mexico
Interests: materials for batteries; supercapacitor; water cleaning and sensing
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Air, soil and water contamination has become a universal problem. The substitution of conventional batteries (AA, AAA, or lithium batteries) with eco-friendly energy storage devices is increasingly important, as traditional batteries contain corrosive and environmentally toxic compounds. In particular, water sources are currently heavily contaminated by microplastics originating from everyday products, such as single-use packets, food packaging, and supermarket bags. Additionally, water sources are further contaminated by dyes, herbicides, and pharmaceuticals discharged from chemical industries. Thus, it is vital that new materials and devices are developed to reduce contamination in water sources. For this reason, I invite colleagues from all around the world to submit strategies and concepts concerning innovative carbon-based materials or devices that contribute to the generation and/or storage of energy, or the decontamination and/or remediation of water. Finally, contributions on gas sensors for the detection of contaminants are additionally welcome.

This Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:

  1. Energy storage devices (batteries, supercapacitors, thermoelectric devices, etc.).
  2. Materials and electrodes for the storage and/or generation of energy in general.
  3. Theoretical works and simulations concerning materials for energy storage applications, water cleaning, and gas sensing.
  4. Synthesis and characterization of materials for energy storage applications or for the decontamination of water.
  5. Materials for energy storage applications in water cleaning and gas sensing.
  6. Any design, material, or concept that contributes to the decontamination of the environment.
  7. Any topic related to environmental science, sustainability, or circular economy.

Dr. Jorge R Oliva
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • sustainability
  • energy storage devices
  • water cleaning
  • photocatalysis
  • nanoparticles
  • gas sensors
  • carbon materials
  • thermoelectric devices
  • DFT calculations

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

23 pages, 3767 KB  
Article
Mussel-Inspired Adhesive Layer Supporting ZnO Nanorod Arrays Combined with Thiol-Ene Click Reaction for Constructing Multi-Level Carbon Fiber/Norbornene-Polyimide Interfaces
by Guoqiang Kong, Jianshun Feng, Meng Shao, Qiubing Yu, Zhenyu Liu, Kang Wang, Guang Yu, Xiang Zhao, Yan Huo, Xiaolei Guo, Qifen Wang, Zhe Sun, Haixiao Huang, Junwei Yu, Dayong Li and Bo Zhu
Materials 2026, 19(5), 960; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19050960 - 2 Mar 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 555
Abstract
Due to the non-polar and chemically inert nature of carbon fiber surfaces, the interfacial bonding strength between carbon fibers and norbornene-polyimide (PI-NA) resin matrix is relatively weak. To address this issue, this study constructed a composite coating on the carbon fiber surface and [...] Read more.
Due to the non-polar and chemically inert nature of carbon fiber surfaces, the interfacial bonding strength between carbon fibers and norbornene-polyimide (PI-NA) resin matrix is relatively weak. To address this issue, this study constructed a composite coating on the carbon fiber surface and proposed a novel method to build robust interfaces based on multiple interfacial interactions, thereby effectively enhancing the interfacial properties between carbon fibers and PI-NA resin. Inspired by mussel adhesive proteins, this study established a multi-level synergistic interfacial reinforcement system by sequentially constructing a C-PEI@OPDA coating, in situ growing zinc oxide nanorods (ZW) arrays, and grafting 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPS) onto carbon fiber surfaces. The C-PEI@OPDA coating, rich in amino (–NH2) and hydroxyl groups (–OH), enhanced adhesion to carbon fibers and adsorbed Zn2+ via coordination interactions to provide nucleation sites for ZW growth. Meanwhile, the active hydrogen in the coating promoted the crosslinking of PI-NA resin, thereby increasing the resin crosslinking density in the interfacial region. The vertically aligned ZW significantly increased surface roughness, enhanced mechanical interlocking effects, and provided secondary reaction sites for MPS grafting. The thiol groups (–SH) in MPS formed covalent bonds with PI-NA resin through thiol-ene click reactions, further strengthening interfacial bonding. The results showed that the ILSS, IFSS, and flexural strength of C-PEI@OPDA/ZW/MPS modified carbon fiber composites reached 75.15 MPa, 102.93 MPa, and 1735.56 MPa, representing improvements of 39.09%, 48.79%, and 31.16%, respectively. This study effectively enhanced the carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composites interfacial bonding strength through the synergistic effects of hydrogen bonding, mechanical interlocking, chemical bonding, and increased resin crosslinking density. Full article
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