Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
7.4
4.2
Journals
Molecules
Special Issues
Advances in Nanomaterials for Catalysis, Electrochemistry and Environmental Applications
molecules-logo
Submit to Molecules Review for Molecules Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Advances in Nanomaterials for Catalysis, Electrochemistry and Environmental Applications

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2024) | Viewed by 12568

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jianbo Jia

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Wuyi University, Jiangmen 529020, China
Interests: electrochemical sensors; biofilm; environmental; nanomaterials; wastewater; microbial mechanism; electrochemical catalysis
Prof. Dr. Yong Shao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of The Ministry of Education for Advanced Catalysis Materials, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, China
Interests: biosensors; nucleic acids; recognition; natural ligands; structures; DNAzymes

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleague,

Our goal is to demonstrate how customized electrochemical approaches can contribute to the development of durable high-performance electrocatalysts. Moreover, the functionalization of nanomaterials provides an even higher analytical performance of sensors, which extends their application in environmental monitoring.

In this Special Issue, we invite new and important perspectives on nanoscience applications, namely nanomaterials, in catalysis, energy conversion, and energy conservation technologies. Novel physical and chemical properties of nanomaterials can be applied and engineered to meet advanced material requirements in the new generation of chemical and energy conversion devices, reactions, and products.

Based on the above considerations, submissions to this Special Issue are welcome in the form of original research papers, reviews, or communications that highlight promising recent research and novel trends in this field.

Prof. Dr. Jianbo Jia
Prof. Dr. Yong Shao
Guest Editors

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. 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

  • electrochemical sensors
  • biofilm
  • environmental
  • nanomaterials
  • wastewater
  • microbial mechanism
  • electrochemical catalysis
  • biosensors

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 (6 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

16 pages, 5123 KiB  
Article
Synthesis and Characterization of Metal Particles Using Malic Acid-Derived Polyamides, Polyhydrazides, and Hydrazides
by Muhammad Farhan Qadir, Somavia Ameen, Rida Fatima, Nadim Ullah, Gamal A. Shazly, Abu Summama Sadavi Bilal, Mehwish Nazar, Anoosha Sajjad, Tawaf Ali Shah and Yukun Yang
Molecules 2025, 30(1), 134; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30010134 - 31 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1011
Abstract
Malic acid-derived polyamides, polyhydrazides, and hydrazides exhibit strong potential for a variety of biological applications. This study demonstrates the synthesis of cobalt, silver, copper, zinc, and iron particles by a facile chemical reduction approach utilizing malic acid-derived polyamides, polyhydrazides, and hydrazides as stabilizing [...] Read more.
Malic acid-derived polyamides, polyhydrazides, and hydrazides exhibit strong potential for a variety of biological applications. This study demonstrates the synthesis of cobalt, silver, copper, zinc, and iron particles by a facile chemical reduction approach utilizing malic acid-derived polyamides, polyhydrazides, and hydrazides as stabilizing and reducing agents. Comprehensive characterization of the particles was performed using UV–Vis spectroscopy, FTIR, XRD, SEM, and EDX analysis. The synthesized particles included both zero-valent metals and oxides exhibiting mixed-phase compositions that may influence their functional properties. UV–vis analysis confirmed the formation of particles represented by the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peaks specific to each metal particle. FTIR spectroscopy revealed the interaction of the metal particles with the polymer matrix owing to the significant contribution of functional groups in the processes of reduction and stabilization. Further structural insights were obtained via X-ray diffraction (XRD), which identified crystalline phases, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which demonstrated uniform morphologies. Additionally, energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis provided compositional details, affirming the purity and distribution of metallic elements. These findings highlight the potential of malic acid-derived polymers as versatile agents for nanoparticle synthesis with applications in catalysis, sensing, and biomedical technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Nanomaterials for Catalysis, Electrochemistry and Environmental Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 2360 KiB  
Article
Hydrothermally Grown Globosa-like TiO2 Nanostructures for Effective Photocatalytic Dye Degradation and LPG Sensing
by Mutcha Shanmukha Rao, Benadict Rakesh, Gunendra Prasad Ojha, Ramasamy Sakthivel, Bishweshwar Pant and Kamatchi Jothiramalingam Sankaran
Molecules 2024, 29(17), 4063; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29174063 - 27 Aug 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1287
Abstract
The rapid expansion of industrial activities has resulted in severe environmental pollution manifested by organic dyes discharged from the food, textile, and leather industries, as well as hazardous gas emissions from various industrial processes. Titanium dioxide (TiO2)-nanostructured materials have emerged as [...] Read more.
The rapid expansion of industrial activities has resulted in severe environmental pollution manifested by organic dyes discharged from the food, textile, and leather industries, as well as hazardous gas emissions from various industrial processes. Titanium dioxide (TiO2)-nanostructured materials have emerged as promising candidates for effective photocatalytic dye degradation and gas sensing applications owing to their unique physicochemical properties. This study investigates the development of a photocatalyst and a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sensor using hydrothermally synthesized globosa-like TiO2 nanostructures (GTNs). The synthesized GTNs are then evaluated to photocatalytically degrade methylene blue dye, resulting in an outstanding photocatalytic activity of 91% degradation within 160 min under UV light irradiation. Furthermore, these nanostructures are utilized to sense liquefied petroleum gas, which attains a superior sensitivity of 7.3% with high response and recovery times and good reproducibility. This facile and cost-effective hydrothermal method of fabricating TiO2 nanostructures opens a new avenue in photocatalytic dye degradation and gas sensing applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Nanomaterials for Catalysis, Electrochemistry and Environmental Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

13 pages, 4812 KiB  
Article
Fe-Co Co-Doped 1D@2D Carbon-Based Composite as an Efficient Catalyst for Zn–Air Batteries
by Ziwei Deng, Wei Liu, Junyuan Zhang, Shuli Bai, Changyu Liu, Mengchen Zhang, Chao Peng, Xiaolong Xu and Jianbo Jia
Molecules 2024, 29(10), 2349; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29102349 - 16 May 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1160
Abstract
A Fe-Co dual-metal co-doped N containing the carbon composite (FeCo-HNC) was prepared by adjusting the ratio of iron to cobalt as well as the pyrolysis temperature with the assistance of functionalized silica template. Fe1Co-HNC, which was formed with 1D carbon nanotubes [...] Read more.
A Fe-Co dual-metal co-doped N containing the carbon composite (FeCo-HNC) was prepared by adjusting the ratio of iron to cobalt as well as the pyrolysis temperature with the assistance of functionalized silica template. Fe1Co-HNC, which was formed with 1D carbon nanotubes and 2D carbon nanosheets including a rich mesoporous structure, exhibited outstanding oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalytic activities. The ORR half-wave potential is 0.86 V (vs. reversible hydrogen electrode, RHE), and the OER overpotential is 0.76 V at 10 mA cm−2 with the Fe1Co-HNC catalyst. It also displayed superior performance in zinc–air batteries. This method provides a promising strategy for the fabrication of efficient transition metal-based carbon catalysts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Nanomaterials for Catalysis, Electrochemistry and Environmental Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

13 pages, 9466 KiB  
Article
ZnO-CeO2 Hollow Nanospheres for Selective Determination of Dopamine and Uric Acid
by Yaru Zhang, Xiaoxia Yan, Yifan Chen, Dongmei Deng, Haibo He, Yunyi Lei and Liqiang Luo
Molecules 2024, 29(8), 1786; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29081786 - 15 Apr 2024
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1644
Abstract
ZnO-CeO2 hollow nanospheres have been successfully synthesized via the hard templating method, in which CeO2 is used as the support skeleton to avoid ZnO agglomeration. The synthesized ZnO-CeO2 hollow nanospheres possess a large electrochemically active area and high electron transfer [...] Read more.
ZnO-CeO2 hollow nanospheres have been successfully synthesized via the hard templating method, in which CeO2 is used as the support skeleton to avoid ZnO agglomeration. The synthesized ZnO-CeO2 hollow nanospheres possess a large electrochemically active area and high electron transfer owing to the high specific surface area and synergistic effect of ZnO and CeO2. Due to the above advantages, the resulting ZnO-CeO2 hollow spheres display high sensitivities of 1122.86 μA mM−1 cm−2 and 908.53 μA mM−1 cm−2 under a neutral environment for the selective detection of dopamine and uric acid. The constructed electrochemical sensor shows excellent selectivity, stability and recovery for the selective analysis of dopamine and uric acid in actual samples. This study provides a valuable strategy for the synthesis of ZnO-CeO2 hollow nanospheres via the hard templating method as electrocatalysts for the selective detection of dopamine and uric acid. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Nanomaterials for Catalysis, Electrochemistry and Environmental Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

13 pages, 2581 KiB  
Article
Surface Plasmon Resonance Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Sensing of Cysteine Based on Au Nanoparticle-Decorated ZnO@graphene Quantum Dots
by Jiaxin Liu, Fancheng Lin and Yan Wang
Molecules 2024, 29(5), 1002; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29051002 - 25 Feb 2024
Viewed by 2090
Abstract
In this work, Au nanoparticle-decorated ZnO@graphene core–shell quantum dots (Au-ZnO@graphene QDs) were successfully prepared and firstly used to modify an ITO electrode for the construction of a novel photoelectrochemical biosensor (Au-ZnO@graphene QDs/ITO). Characterization of the prepared nanomaterials was conducted using transmission electron microscopy, [...] Read more.
In this work, Au nanoparticle-decorated ZnO@graphene core–shell quantum dots (Au-ZnO@graphene QDs) were successfully prepared and firstly used to modify an ITO electrode for the construction of a novel photoelectrochemical biosensor (Au-ZnO@graphene QDs/ITO). Characterization of the prepared nanomaterials was conducted using transmission electron microscopy, steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy and the X-ray diffraction method. The results indicated that the synthesized ternary nanomaterials displayed excellent photoelectrochemical performance, which was much better than that of ZnO@graphene QDs and pristine ZnO quantum dots. The graphene and ZnO quantum dots formed an effective interfacial electric field, enhancing photogenerated electron–hole pairs separation and leading to a remarkable improvement in the photoelectrochemical performance of ZnO@graphene QDs. The strong surface plasmon resonance effect achieved by directly attaching Au nanoparticles to ZnO@graphene QDs led to a notable increase in the photocurrent response through electrochemical field effect amplification. Based on the specifical recognition between cysteine and Au-ZnO@graphene QDs/ITO through the specificity of Au-S bonds, a light-driven photoelectrochemical sensor was fabricated for cysteine detection. The novel photoelectrochemical biosensor exhibited outstanding analytical capabilities in detecting cysteine with an extremely low detection limit of 8.9 nM and excellent selectivity. Hence, the Au-ZnO@graphene QDs is a promising candidate as a novel advanced photosensitive material in the field of photoelectrochemical biosensing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Nanomaterials for Catalysis, Electrochemistry and Environmental Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Review

Jump to: Research

49 pages, 8923 KiB  
Review
Nanomaterials for Energy Storage Systems—A Review
by Habeeb Mohammed, Md Farouq Mia, Jasmine Wiggins and Salil Desai
Molecules 2025, 30(4), 883; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules30040883 - 14 Feb 2025
Viewed by 4753
Abstract
The ever-increasing global energy demand necessitates the development of efficient, sustainable, and high-performance energy storage systems. Nanotechnology, through the manipulation of materials at the nanoscale, offers significant potential for enhancing the performance of energy storage devices due to unique properties such as increased [...] Read more.
The ever-increasing global energy demand necessitates the development of efficient, sustainable, and high-performance energy storage systems. Nanotechnology, through the manipulation of materials at the nanoscale, offers significant potential for enhancing the performance of energy storage devices due to unique properties such as increased surface area and improved conductivity. This review paper investigates the crucial role of nanotechnology in advancing energy storage technologies, with a specific focus on capacitors and batteries, including lithium-ion, sodium–sulfur, and redox flow. We explore the diverse applications of nanomaterials in batteries, encompassing electrode materials (e.g., carbon nanotubes, metal oxides), electrolytes, and separators. To address challenges like interfacial side reactions, advanced nanostructured materials are being developed. We also delve into various manufacturing methods for nanomaterials, including top–down (e.g., ball milling), bottom–up (e.g., chemical vapor deposition), and hybrid approaches, highlighting their scalability considerations. While challenges such as cost-effectiveness and environmental concerns persist, the outlook for nanotechnology in energy storage remains promising, with emerging trends including solid-state batteries and the integration of nanomaterials with artificial intelligence for optimized energy storage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Nanomaterials for Catalysis, Electrochemistry and Environmental Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-6
Back to TopTop