Eco-Friendly Nanomaterials: Structure–Property Relationships in Photocatalysis
A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Nanoscience and Nanotechnology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 January 2026 | Viewed by 9
Special Issue Editor
Interests: polymeric and biopolymeric particles; topographical and morphological characterization of three-dimensional surfaces at micro/nanoscale; development of new mathematical tools in the investigation of 3D surface quality; theoretic and applied research in advanced materials science in applied sciences; mechanical and tribological characterization of macro–micro–nanostructures; experimental techniques for micro/nanomechanical and micro/nanotribological characterization; fractal and multifractal geometry analysis and applications; polymers; molecular dynamics method
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue aims to examine the fundamental structure–property relationships that govern the photocatalytic performance of nanomaterials synthesized via eco-friendly, green, or sustainable methods. We will focus on how structural, morphological, compositional, defective, and contaminant-induced features influence light absorption, charge separation, reactivity, and stability in photocatalytic processes. Understanding these relationships is crucial for optimizing the performance of nanomaterials while adhering to green chemistry principles. The Special Issue will bridge the gap between green synthesis and functional performance, and thus welcomes the submission of detailed characterization and mechanistic studies of eco-friendly photocatalysts.
The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:
- Correlation between nanoparticle morphology (size, shape, surface area) and photocatalytic efficiency;
- Role of crystal structure, phase composition, and lattice defects in charge carrier dynamics;
- Impact of dopants, heterojunctions, or compositional tuning on photocatalytic mechanisms;
- Influence of surface functional groups introduced via green synthesis on pollutant adsorption and degradation;
- Effects of residual biogenic or plant-derived moieties on catalytic performance;
- Defect engineering in green-synthesized nanomaterials (oxygen vacancies, dislocations, etc.);
- The modulation of photocatalytic activity by trace contamination or impurities inherent to green synthesis;
- Comprehensive characterization techniques (TEM, XPS, PL, BET, etc.) that relate structure with function;
- Theoretical and computational studies explaining photocatalytic mechanisms based on structural features;
- Case studies of eco-friendly synthesis methods with advanced performance analysis.
Submission Categories: original research papers; comprehensive reviews; case studies with advanced characterization; short communications or technical reports; and theoretical/simulation-based structure–property studies.
Target Audience: materials scientists working on green nanomaterials; environmental chemists and engineers; photocatalysis researchers; researchers in nanostructure–function relationships; and computational materials scientists.
Dr. Ştefan Ţălu
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 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. 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
- eco-friendly synthesis
- photocatalysis
- green nanomaterials
- nanoparticles as catalysts
- noble metals as catalysts
- clusters as catalysts
- heterogeneous catalysis
- structure–property relationships
- nanocomposites
- defect engineering
- biogenic nanoparticles
- doping and heterojunctions
- morphological characterization
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