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Graphene and Graphene-Related Materials for Energy and Environment: Synthesis and Application

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 16 August 2026 | Viewed by 3488

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Saverio Latorrata

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “G. Natta”, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milan, Italy
Interests: fuel cells; materials characterization; alternative energy; impedance spectroscopy; water treatment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Andrea Basso Peressut

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “G. Natta”, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milan, Italy
Interests: graphene oxide; proton exchange membrane; PEM fuel cell; infrared spectroscopy; electrochemical impedance spectroscopy; proton conductor; water treatment; photocatalysis; titanium dioxide; foams; proton conductivity; ion exchange capacity; water uptake

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to highlight recent advances in the synthesis, functionalization, and application of graphene and graphene-related materials in the fields of energy and environmental sustainability.

Innovative approaches that harness the unique properties of graphene-related materials for alternative energy solutions will be mainly considered, including their use in fuel cells, accumulators, and capacitors. These materials offer exceptional conductive properties, a highly tunable surface area, and mechanical strength, making them ideal for enhancing the performance and durability of energy storage and conversion systems.

In addition to energy applications, this Special Issue welcomes contributions addressing the role of graphene-based materials in environmental remediation, particularly for advanced wastewater treatment techniques such as adsorption, photocatalysis, and membrane-based separation.

Moreover, the Special Issue will cover emerging uses of graphene-based components in industrial catalysis, where their tunable surface chemistry and structural versatility enable efficient and selective catalytic processes. We invite original research articles and reviews that explore the synthesis routes, structural optimization, and application-oriented design of graphene-based materials addressing current challenges in energy and environmental technologies.

Dr. Saverio Latorrata
Guest Editor

Dr. Andrea Basso Peressut
Guest Editor Assistant

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Molecules 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 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

  • graphene
  • graphene-related materials
  • energy applications
  • fuel cells
  • capacitors
  • photocatalysis
  • adsorption

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 3437 KB  
Article
Boosting Hydrogen Photogeneration via Controlled CdS Nucleation on PEI-Modified Graphene Surfaces
by José J. Chica-Armenteros, Joan Vernet-García, Rubén Cruz-Sánchez, Celeste García-Gallarín, Antonio Peñas-Sanjuán and Manuel Melguizo
Molecules 2026, 31(11), 1920; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31111920 - 2 Jun 2026
Viewed by 162
Abstract
The performance of CdS-based photocatalysts can be enhanced by incorporating graphene co-catalysts in close contact with the photoactive phase. However, assembling these distinct components remains a bottleneck, as their differing chemical natures often limit effective interfacial interaction when they are synthesized separately. In [...] Read more.
The performance of CdS-based photocatalysts can be enhanced by incorporating graphene co-catalysts in close contact with the photoactive phase. However, assembling these distinct components remains a bottleneck, as their differing chemical natures often limit effective interfacial interaction when they are synthesized separately. In this work, we present an adaptable PEI-mediated interfacial assembly strategy for promoting the nucleation and growth of nanocrystalline CdS phases on different graphene-based supports within a common, yet support-adapted, approach. Specifically, by functionalizing the surface of various graphene materials with hyperbranched polyethyleneimine (PEI) as a multifunctional interlayer mediator, we achieve controlled CdS formation. This strategy provides a common chemical framework for producing CdS nanocrystals closely associated with the carbon surface, regardless of the substrate. Diverse materials, including low-defect graphene sheets (G-Sheets), graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), and graphene oxide (GO), were integrated using tailored architectures: noncovalent PDI-anchoring for GNP and G-Sheets and direct covalent functionalization for GO. In the latter case, PEI acts simultaneously as a mild reducing agent, yielding a covalently grafted reduced graphene oxide hybrid (rGO-PEI). XRD patterns confirm comparable CdS crystallinity across all hybrids, while photocatalytic hydrogen evolution measurements reveal a strong dependence on the nature of the graphene support. rGO-PEI@CdS exhibits the highest hydrogen evolution rate (0.44 mmol g−1 h−1) without any noble-metal cocatalyst, highlighting the role of surface defects and oxygen functionalities in interfacial charge transfer. Thermal treatment of rGO-PEI@CdS enhances activity (average 1.20 mmol g−1 h−1) but leads to partial deactivation over time. Overall, this study provides an adaptable PEI-mediated framework for integrating diverse graphene-type materials as co-catalysts within CdS-based photocatalytic materials and investigates structure–function relationships in graphene@CdS systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Graphene and Graphene-Related Materials for Energy and Environment: Synthesis and Application)
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20 pages, 5522 KB  
Article
Dual-Functional Coatings for RO Membranes: Optimizing Graphene Oxide and Polydopamine for Fouling and Scaling Control
by Dana A. Da’na, Mohammad Y. Ashfaq, Woei Jye Lau and Mohammad A. Al-Ghouti
Molecules 2026, 31(10), 1702; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules31101702 - 18 May 2026
Viewed by 338
Abstract
This study reports the development of a novel thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) reverse osmosis (RO) membrane with a surface functionalized using graphene oxide (GO) and polydopamine (PDA). GO was synthesized using a modified Hummers’ method and integrated into a PDA-coated commercial RO membrane. The [...] Read more.
This study reports the development of a novel thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) reverse osmosis (RO) membrane with a surface functionalized using graphene oxide (GO) and polydopamine (PDA). GO was synthesized using a modified Hummers’ method and integrated into a PDA-coated commercial RO membrane. The membranes were treated with UV light for varying durations to enable crosslinking of GO nanoparticles to the membranes. The modified membranes showed improved pure water permeability (PWP) and salt rejection compared to the pristine membrane. The resulting RO membrane, which was exposed to 60 min of UV and contained 0.02 g of GO, achieved the best performance, with a PWP of 23.8 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 and a salt rejection of 96%. Antiscaling and antifouling properties were notably enhanced, as indicated by stable flux under silica scaling and decreased bacterial growth. These results suggest that PDA-GO functionalization is a promising approach for improving membrane durability and efficiency in desalination processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Graphene and Graphene-Related Materials for Energy and Environment: Synthesis and Application)
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17 pages, 3544 KB  
Article
A New Route to Tune the Electrical Properties of Graphene Oxide: A Simultaneous, One-Step N-Doping and Reduction as a Tool for Its Structural Transformation
by Andjela Stefanović, Muhammad Yasir, Gerard Tobías-Rossell, Stefania Sandoval Rojano, Dušan Sredojević, Dejan Kepić, Duška Kleut, Warda Saeed, Miloš Milović, Danica Bajuk-Bogdanović and Svetlana Jovanović
Molecules 2025, 30(17), 3579; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30173579 - 1 Sep 2025
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2400
Abstract
The presence of secondary electromagnetic waves (EMWs) results in EMW pollution and a large need for EMW-shielding materials. Therefore, new, lightweight, flexible, chemically resistant, and durable EMW shielding materials are demanded, while graphene and its derivatives meet the above-mentioned requirements. Among graphene derivatives, [...] Read more.
The presence of secondary electromagnetic waves (EMWs) results in EMW pollution and a large need for EMW-shielding materials. Therefore, new, lightweight, flexible, chemically resistant, and durable EMW shielding materials are demanded, while graphene and its derivatives meet the above-mentioned requirements. Among graphene derivatives, N-doped graphene exhibits promising electrical properties for shielding applications, although achieving sufficient N-incorporation in the graphene sheets remains a challenge. Herein, we produced graphene oxide using the modified Hummers’ method (GO) and the electrochemical exfoliation of highly ordered pyrolytic graphite. These two GO samples were thermally treated at 500 °C and 800 °C under a pure NH3 gas for 1 h. UV-Vis, infrared, and Raman spectroscopies and X-ray diffraction, elemental, and thermogravimetric analyses were used to investigate the structural properties of modified GO. One of the highest levels of N-doping of GO was measured (11.25 ± 0.08 at%). The modification under a NH3 atmosphere leads to simultaneous N-doping and reduction of graphene, resulting in the formation of electrically conductive and EMW shielding materials. Density functional theory (DFT) revealed the effect of heteroatoms on the energy band gap of GO. The cluster corresponding to N-doped rGO had a reduced bandgap of 0.77 eV. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Graphene and Graphene-Related Materials for Energy and Environment: Synthesis and Application)
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