Advanced Nanomaterials and Nanotechnologies for Environmental Remediation, Chemical Conversion, and Energy Production

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Nanoscience and Nanotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 February 2024) | Viewed by 4403

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Department of Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Interests: nanomaterials; nanocatalysts; environmental remediation; energy production; characterization of nanomaterials
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fast urbanization and industrialization have resulted in growing demands for the industrial production of value-added products and caused a considerable increase in the consumption of non-renewable energy as well as discharging of different pollutants into the environment. Thus, the design and development of advanced nanomaterials and technologies with improved activities have become interesting research areas with different applications including environmental remediation, chemical conversion, and energy production. For practical applications, different methods are used to fabricate efficient nanomaterials such as the construction of heterojunctions, interface and surface design, incorporation of sensitizers, synthesis of nanocomposites, heteroatom doping, etc. In this landscape, this Special Issue collects the research papers and reviews regarding the engineering, synthesis, and characterization of novel nanomaterials and the study of their application for the removal of water pollutants, air purification, reduction of CO2, production of value-added chemicals, evolution of renewable hydrogen energy, etc. Topics of interest covered in this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Synthesis of highly porous nanomaterials with improved physicochemical characteristics;
  • Design and fabrication of defective metal oxides;
  • Fabrication of high-performance nanomaterials with different morphologies (nanofibers/nanorods, nanosheets, and 3D nanostructures);
  • Construction of heterojunctions for catalysis, photocatalysis, and electrocatalysis;
  • Study of structural, photoelectrochemical, and morphological characteristics of synthesized nanomaterials;
  • Applications in water and wastewater treatment, energy conversion, energy storage, synthesis of chemicals, hydrogen production, detection of pollutants, CO2 reduction, air purification, etc.

Dr. Peyman Gholami
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • synthesis of nanomaterials
  • functionalization and modification of nanomaterials
  • porous nanomaterials
  • synthesis of composite and hybrid nanomaterials
  • environmental remediation
  • water and wastewater treatment
  • pollutant removal
  • nitrogen fixation
  • energy production
  • chemical conversion
  • organic synthesis
  • photocatalysis
  • water splitting
  • CO2 reduction
  • solar energy conversion
  • characterization of nanomaterials
  • construction of heterojunctions
  • heteroatom doping
  • morphology regulation
  • hybrid processes
  • detection of pollutants

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 5225 KiB  
Article
Emerging Mesoporous Polyacrylamide/Gelatin–Iron Lanthanum Oxide Nanohybrids towards the Antibiotic Drugs Removal from the Wastewater
by Nazish Parveen, Fatimah Othman Alqahtani, Ghayah M. Alsulaim, Shada A. Alsharif, Kholoud M. Alnahdi, Hasna Abdullah Alali, Mohamad M. Ahmad and Sajid Ali Ansari
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(21), 2835; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13212835 - 26 Oct 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1154
Abstract
The polyacrylamide/gelatin–iron lanthanum oxide (P-G-ILO nanohybrid) was fabricated by the free radical grafting co-polymerization technique in the presence of N,N-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as cross linker and ammonium persulfate (APS) as initiator. The P-G-ILO nanohybrid was characterized by the various spectroscopic and microscopic techniques that [...] Read more.
The polyacrylamide/gelatin–iron lanthanum oxide (P-G-ILO nanohybrid) was fabricated by the free radical grafting co-polymerization technique in the presence of N,N-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as cross linker and ammonium persulfate (APS) as initiator. The P-G-ILO nanohybrid was characterized by the various spectroscopic and microscopic techniques that provided the information regarding the crystalline behavior, surface area, and pore size. The response surface methodology was utilized for the statistical observation of diclofenac (DF) adsorption from the wastewater. The adsorption capacity (qe, mg/g) of P-G-ILO nanohybrid was higher (254, 256, and 258 mg/g) than the ILO nanoparticle (239, 234, and 233 mg/g). The Freundlich isotherm model was the best fitted, as it gives the higher values of correlation coefficient (R2 = 0.982, 0.991 and 0.981) and lower value of standard error of estimate (SEE = 6.30, 4.42 and 6.52), which suggested the multilayered adsorption of DF over the designed P-G-ILO nanohybrid and followed the pseudo second order kinetic model (PSO kinetic model) adsorption. The thermodynamic study reveals that adsorption was spontaneous and endothermic in nature and randomness onto the P-G-ILO nanohybrids surface increases after the DF adsorption. The mechanism of adsorption of DF demonstrated that the adsorption was mainly due to the electrostatic interaction, hydrogen bonding, and dipole interaction. P-G-ILO nanohybrid was reusable for up to five adsorption/desorption cycles. Full article
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13 pages, 2924 KiB  
Article
One-Pot Synthesis of Lamellar Fe-Cu Bimetal-Decorated Reduced Graphene Oxide and Its Enhanced Removal of Cr(VI) from Water
by Jing Li, Mingjie Fan, Ziting Yuan, Fang Liu and Miao Li
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(20), 2745; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13202745 - 11 Oct 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1233
Abstract
Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) is a typical heavy metal pollutant, making its removal from wastewater imperative. Although nanosized zero-valent iron (nZVI) and graphene-based materials are excellent remediation materials, they have drawbacks, such as agglomeration and being difficult to recycle. A facile synthesis method for [...] Read more.
Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) is a typical heavy metal pollutant, making its removal from wastewater imperative. Although nanosized zero-valent iron (nZVI) and graphene-based materials are excellent remediation materials, they have drawbacks, such as agglomeration and being difficult to recycle. A facile synthesis method for decorating reduced graphene oxide (rGO) with ultrathin nZVI (within 10 nm) was explored in this study in order to develop an effective tool for Cr(VI) detoxication. Cu particles were doped in these composites for electron-transfer enhancement and were verified to improve the rate by 2.4~3.4 times. Batch experiments were conducted at different pHs, initial concentrations, ionic strengths, and humic acid (HA) concentrations. From these observations, it was found that the acid condition and appearance of Cu and rGO enhanced the treatment capacity. This procedure was fitted with a pseudo-second-order model, and the existence of NaCl and HA impeded it to some extent. Cr(VI) could be detoxified into Cr(III) and precipitated on the surface. Combining these analyses, a kinetics study, and the characterizations before and after the reaction, the removal mechanism of Cr(VI) was further discussed as a complex process involving adsorption, reduction, and precipitation. The maximum removal capacity of 156.25 mg g−1 occurred in the acid condition, providing a potential Cr(VI) remediation method. Full article
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19 pages, 4585 KiB  
Article
Effect of Water on CO2 Adsorption on CaNaY Zeolite: Formation of Ca2+(H2O)(CO2), Ca2+(H2O)(CO2)2 and Ca2+(H2O)2(CO2) Complexes
by Nikola L. Drenchev, Boris L. Shivachev, Lubomir D. Dimitrov and Konstantin I. Hadjiivanov
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(16), 2278; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13162278 - 8 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1566
Abstract
Efficient CO2 capture materials must possess a high adsorption capacity, suitable CO2 adsorption enthalpy and resistance to water vapor. We have recently reported that Ca2+ cations exchanged in FAU zeolite can attach up to three CO2 molecules. Here we [...] Read more.
Efficient CO2 capture materials must possess a high adsorption capacity, suitable CO2 adsorption enthalpy and resistance to water vapor. We have recently reported that Ca2+ cations exchanged in FAU zeolite can attach up to three CO2 molecules. Here we report the effect of water on the adsorption of CO2. Formation of Ca2+(H2O)(CO2), Ca2+(H2O)(CO2)2 and Ca2+(H2O)2(CO2) mixed ligand complexes were established. The Ca2+(H2O)(CO2) species are readily formed even at ambient temperature and are characterized by ν(12CO2) and ν(13CO2) infrared bands at 2358 and 2293 cm−1, respectively. The Ca2+(H2O)(CO2)2 species are produced at low temperature and are identified by a ν(13CO2) band at 2291 cm−1. In the presence of large amounts of water, Ca2+(H2O)2(CO2) complexes were also evidenced by ν(12CO2) and ν(13CO2) bands at 2348 and 2283 cm−1, respectively. The results demonstrate that, although it has a negative effect on CO2 adsorption uptake, water in moderate amounts does not block CO2 adsorption sites. Full article
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