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10.3
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Nanomaterials
Special Issues
Nanostructured Catalysts for Solar Energy Conversion
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Nanostructured Catalysts for Solar Energy Conversion

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy and Catalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2026 | Viewed by 1713

Editor

Dr. Lele Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
Interests: photocatalysis; photothermal catalysis; water treatment; hydrogen production; organic transformation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanostructured materials have emerged as one of the most rapidly developing catalysts in the field of solar light storage and conversion due to their unparalleled physicochemical properties and tunable architectures. Progress in fabrication methods, structural engineering, characterization techniques, and device integration have enabled the rational design of high-efficiency nanostructured catalysts. The fundamental structure–property relationship between these materials is governed by surface properties and structural effects such as size effects, electronic effects, geometric effects, crystal effects, interface effects, synergistic effects, etc. A comprehensive understanding of these effects is necessary for the strategic development of next-generation nanostructured materials and their industrial implementation in renewable energy systems.

To meet the expanding demand for nanostructured material research, there is a clear need for new publications that can provide readers with improved access to current, state-of-the-art research in the field of nanostructured materials. This Special Issue aims to promote cutting-edge research on nanomaterials involved in solar energy storage and conversion, such as photocatalysis, photothermal catalysis, fuel cells, solar cells, etc.

Our goal is to assist and support talented young scholars and senior professionals in the field of nanomaterials to promote and publish their research in the form of articles, review papers, and short communications.

We welcome submissions from a diverse range of nanomaterials disciplines, including but not limited to material science, environmental science, engineering science, and chemistry science. 

Dr. Lele Wang
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 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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nanomaterials 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 2400 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

  • photocatalysis
  • photothermal catalysis
  • fuel cells
  • solar cells

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2649 KB  
Article
Blue-Light-Driven Aerobic Oxidation via ROS-Generating Binuclear Cobalt(II) Complex Photocatalyst
by Yuhao Mu, Zhuang Miao, Rong Zhang, Xiong-Feng Ma and Zhipeng Xie
Nanomaterials 2026, 16(13), 835; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano16130835 - 7 Jul 2026
Viewed by 136
Abstract
Developing earth-abundant photocatalysts that operate efficiently under visible light remains a central challenge in sustainable aerobic oxidation chemistry. We synthesized a binuclear cobalt(II) structure (Co2) in which two redox-active metal centers are bridged by a polypyridine scaffold to integrate light-harvesting [...] Read more.
Developing earth-abundant photocatalysts that operate efficiently under visible light remains a central challenge in sustainable aerobic oxidation chemistry. We synthesized a binuclear cobalt(II) structure (Co2) in which two redox-active metal centers are bridged by a polypyridine scaffold to integrate light-harvesting and catalytic functions within a single low-nuclearity unit. The complex exhibits a strong absorption band below 450 nm, undergoes facile charge separation upon photoexcitation, and channels molecular oxygen (O2) toward superoxide radical anion (O2•–) under blue-light irradiation. Spectroscopic and mechanistic studies indicate that the polypyridine framework governs photon capture and excited-state delocalization, whereas the proximal Co(II) sites mediate the subsequent single-electron transfer to O2. Driven by this dual-site synergy, Co2 selectively oxidizes a broad scope of thioethers to the corresponding sulfoxides in yields exceeding 95%, with no over-oxidation to sulfones detected. The catalyst retains its structural integrity over five successive runs without measurable activity loss. By confining complementary photophysical and redox functions within a discrete bimetallic unit, this work establishes a design strategy for noble-metal-free, visible-light-driven organic transformations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Catalysts for Solar Energy Conversion)
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13 pages, 25743 KB  
Article
Boosting Photo-to-Thermal Conversion and 1-Nitronaphthalene Reduction in Fe-MOF via Incorporating Carbon Nanotubes Heat-Storage Cocatalyst
by Ying-Cong Wei, Zhuang Miao, Zhipeng Xie and Xiong-Feng Ma
Nanomaterials 2026, 16(13), 817; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano16130817 - 2 Jul 2026
Viewed by 386
Abstract
The development of efficient and sustainable photothermal catalytic systems is pivotal for modern organic transformations. Herein, we report the rational design and solvothermal synthesis of NH2-MIL-101(Fe) metal–organic frameworks (NM-101) integrated with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for the photothermal reduction in nitronaphthalene. The [...] Read more.
The development of efficient and sustainable photothermal catalytic systems is pivotal for modern organic transformations. Herein, we report the rational design and solvothermal synthesis of NH2-MIL-101(Fe) metal–organic frameworks (NM-101) integrated with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for the photothermal reduction in nitronaphthalene. The optimized NM-101/75C composites exhibit exceptional catalytic activity and high selectivity under NIR light irradiation, delivering a high yield of 84.4% within 1 h, which significantly outperforms its individual components. Systematic control experiments and detailed spectroscopic investigations reveal a powerful synergistic effect at the MOF-CNT interface, where the CNTs play a dual role in augmenting light harvesting and facilitating charge carrier separation. Furthermore, the high photothermal conversion efficiency of the composite enables rapid reaction kinetics. This work provides a robust and scalable strategy for constructing high-performance photothermal catalysts, offering critical insights into the interfacial engineering of MOF-based materials for industrial chemical manufacturing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Catalysts for Solar Energy Conversion)
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12 pages, 2931 KB  
Article
Constructing Cu3P Quantum Dots/Cu-Doped ZnIn2S4 p-n Heterojunctions for Efficient Methanol Oxidation Coupled with Synchronous Hydrogen Generation
by Maobin Xiao, Ke Wang, Jinghang Xu, Jie Hu, Weikang Wang, Lele Wang and Qinqin Liu
Nanomaterials 2026, 16(3), 210; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano16030210 - 6 Feb 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 676
Abstract
The solar-driven direct conversion of methanol to ethylene glycol, formaldehyde and simultaneous H2 generation is an appealing strategy for converting sunlight to chemical energy. However, the low efficiency and stability of the photocatalyst remain critical bottlenecks hindering the practical implementation of this [...] Read more.
The solar-driven direct conversion of methanol to ethylene glycol, formaldehyde and simultaneous H2 generation is an appealing strategy for converting sunlight to chemical energy. However, the low efficiency and stability of the photocatalyst remain critical bottlenecks hindering the practical implementation of this reaction. Herein, we synthesized the Cu3P quantum dots/Cu-doped ZnIn2S4 p-n junction for efficient methanol oxidation and synchronous H2 generation. The highly dispersed Cu3P quantum dots promote electron–hole separation and furnish abundant catalytic sites. Moreover, the constructed p-n junction with a tight interface boosts the electron transfer, avoiding the serious photocorrosion of ZnIn2S4. Benefiting from these synergistic effects, the 2Cu3P/Cu0.5ZIS composite exhibits the highest photocatalytic conversion efficiency of methanol, yielding H2, formaldehyde, and ethylene glycol with 10.34 mmol·g−1·h−1, 10.35 mmol·g−1·h−1 and 8.84 mmol·g−1·h−1 yields, which are 3.01, 3.05 and 3.10 times those of pure ZnIn2S4, respectively. A series of characterizations including X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy are employed to analyze the structure, composition, and photoelectrochemical properties of the materials. This work demonstrates a novel catalyst design paradigm for the high-efficiency solar light-driven photocatalytic activation of methanol enabling the co-production of value-added C1/C2 oxygenates and clean H2 fuel simultaneously. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Catalysts for Solar Energy Conversion)
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