Semiconductor-Based Nanomaterials for Photocatalytic Applications—2nd Edition

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanophotonics Materials and Devices".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2024) | Viewed by 3555

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Department of Industrial Engineering, University Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo 2 132, I-84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy
Interests: photocatalysis for sustainable chemistry; photocatalytic and photo-Fenton processes for pollutants removal in wastewater; catalytic combustion of sewage sludge; decomposition and oxidative decomposition of H2S; hydrolysis of COS in the liquid phase
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, semiconductor-based nanomaterials have been the object of extensive research. These types of nanomaterials can be employed as catalysts in a number of applications of heterogeneous photocatalysis, such as air and water treatment, the synthesis of organic compounds in mild conditions, hydrogen production from water splitting, and CO2 transformation. This Special Issue is devoted to the formulation of new semiconductor-based nanomaterials, their chemical–physical characterization via traditional and innovative experimental techniques, and their performances in photocatalytic reactions. Research and review papers related to the preparation and characterization of nanomaterials with semiconductor properties and their application in UV or visible (or solar light)-driven photocatalytic reactions are welcome in this Special Issue.

Dr. Vincenzo Vaiano
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • semiconductor nanomaterials
  • preparation methods
  • chemical-physical characterization
  • heterogeneous photocatalysis

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

32 pages, 44965 KiB  
Article
Hybrid Cellulosic Substrates Impregnated with Meta-PBI-Stabilized Carbon Nanotubes/Plant Extract-Synthesized Zinc Oxide—Antibacterial and Photocatalytic Dye Degradation Study
by Hristo Penchev, Katerina Zaharieva, Silvia Dimova, Georgy Grancharov, Petar D. Petrov, Maria Shipochka, Ognian Dimitrov, Irina Lazarkevich, Stephan Engibarov and Rumyana Eneva
Nanomaterials 2024, 14(16), 1346; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14161346 - 14 Aug 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1546
Abstract
Novel fibrous cellulosic substrates impregnated with meta-polybenzimidazole (PBI)-stabilized carbon nanotubes/zinc oxide with different weight content of ZnO and with the use of dimethylacetamide as dispersant media. The pristine ZnO nanoparticle powder was prepared by plant extract-mediated synthesis using Vaccinium vitis-idaea L. The green [...] Read more.
Novel fibrous cellulosic substrates impregnated with meta-polybenzimidazole (PBI)-stabilized carbon nanotubes/zinc oxide with different weight content of ZnO and with the use of dimethylacetamide as dispersant media. The pristine ZnO nanoparticle powder was prepared by plant extract-mediated synthesis using Vaccinium vitis-idaea L. The green synthesized ZnO possesses an average crystallite size of 15 nm. The formation of agglomerates from ZnO NPs with size 250 nm–350 nm in the m-PBI@CNTs/ZnO was determined. The prepared materials were investigated by PXRD analysis, XPS, SEM, EDS, AFM, and TEM in order to establish the phase and surface composition, structure, and morphology of the hybrids. The potential of the synthesized hybrid composites to degrade methylene blue (MB) dye as a model contaminant in aqueous solutions under UV illumination was studied. The photocatalytic results show that in the course of the photocatalytic reaction, the m-PBI@CNTs/ZnO 1:3 photocatalyst leads to the highest degree of degradation of the methylene blue dye (67%) in comparison with the other two studied m-PBI@CNTs/ZnO 1:1 and 1:2 composites (48% and 41%). The antibacterial activity of ZnO nanoparticles and the hybrid CNT materials was evaluated by the RMDA and the dynamic contact method, respectively. The profound antibacterial effect of the m-PBI@CNTs/ZnO hybrids was monitored for 120 h of exposition in dark and UV illumination regimes. The photocatalytic property of ZnO nanoparticles significantly shortens the time for bactericidal action of the composites in both regimes. The m-PBI@CNTs/ZnO 1:2 combination achieved complete elimination of 5.105 CFU/mL E. coli cells after 10 min of UV irradiation. Full article
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17 pages, 3881 KiB  
Article
Photocatalytic Degradation of Ceftriaxone Using TiO2 Coupled with ZnO Micronized by Supercritical Antisolvent Route
by Antonietta Mancuso, Stefania Mottola, Olga Sacco, Vincenzo Vaiano and Iolanda De Marco
Nanomaterials 2023, 13(24), 3130; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13243130 - 13 Dec 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1341
Abstract
Heterogeneous photocatalysis is a promising technique for removing pollutants from water. In this work, supercritical antisolvent (SAS)-micronized ZnO (ZnOSAS) is coupled with commercial anatase TiO2 (PC50) to study the photocatalytic degradation of ceftriaxone under UV and visible light. Diffuse ultraviolet–visible [...] Read more.
Heterogeneous photocatalysis is a promising technique for removing pollutants from water. In this work, supercritical antisolvent (SAS)-micronized ZnO (ZnOSAS) is coupled with commercial anatase TiO2 (PC50) to study the photocatalytic degradation of ceftriaxone under UV and visible light. Diffuse ultraviolet–visible reflectance (UV−vis DRS) measurement revealed that the presence of ZnO leads to a slight absorption in the visible region. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) analysis showed the presence of both ZnO wurtzite and TiO2 anatase crystalline phases in the composite. Photocatalytic tests proved that the activity of the ZnOSAS/PC50 composite is higher than that of commercial ZnO, SAS-micronized ZnO, and PC50, allowing complete ceftriaxone degradation under UV light after only 2 min of irradiation time. In contrast, about 90% of ceftriaxone degradation is achieved after 180 min of visible-light irradiation. The photocatalytic results for an experiment carried out in the presence of probe scavenger molecules for reactive oxygen species show that hydroxyl radicals and positive holes are both reactive species involved in the ceftriaxone photocatalytic degradation mechanism. Finally, reuse cycles of the ZnOsas/PC50 composite are performed, demonstrating the stability and recyclability of the photocatalyst. Full article
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