Self-Assembled Nanocomposites and Nanostructures for Environmental and Energic Applications

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Synthesis, Interfaces and Nanostructures".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2022) | Viewed by 12409

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004, China
Interests: self-assembled films; hydrogel; photocatalyst; electrocatalysis; composite material; wastewater treatment
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Department of Organic Materials & Fiber Engineering, Jeonbuk National University, 567 Baekje-daero, Deokjin-gu, Jeonju-si 54896, Jeollabuk-do, Republic of Korea
Interests: electrochemical energy storage and conversion system; energy nanomaterials; nanocarbons and carbon fibers; functional nanofibers; supercapacitors; electrocatalysts; metal nanoparticles; biosensors; fuel cells; layer-by-layer self-assembled thin films and capsules; nanostructured molecular nanocomposites; hydrogels; hybrid POSS materials
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Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA
Interests: electrospin film; polymer characterization; self-assembly; biosensor; vesicle
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Institute of Materials for Energy and Environment, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
Interests: colloidal nanocrystal; assembly; electrocatalysis; surfactant; alloy
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Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

Today, self-assembled nanocomposites and nanostructures are attracting considerable interest from environmental and energic fields, due to their chemical structures and components/functional groups. In view of various self-assembled nanostructured materials and composites (particles, films, gels, composites, etc.), the relative chemical reactions and modifications, as well as application performance, are significantly different, covering topics such as new chemical reactions, organic semiconductors, photovoltaic technology, photocatalyst, biosensors, and energy materials for fuel cells and batteries. However, the use of functionalized nanocomposites with controllable chemical reactions and modifications as important bottom–up approaches is still a great challenge. The chemical functionalization and self-assembly of nanocomposites and the subsequent environmental and energic applications of well-defined micro-/nanostructures have multiple important impacts. In this sense, research into sophisticated self-assembled nanocomposites with new chemical reactions or synthesis is helping to deepen our insight into nanomaterials. In this Special Issue, we cordially invite investigators to contribute original research articles as well as review articles that will improve our understanding of the key scientific and technological problems in new chemical reactions and modifications, as well as relative environmental/energic applications of self-assembled nanocomposites and nanostructures. Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

  • New chemical reactions/synthesis routes for inorganic–organic hybrid nanomaterials;
  • New chemical modifications/functions in self-assembled organic or inorganic–organic hybrid nanomaterials;
  • Synthesis, physical and chemical characterization of multidimensional nanocomposite materials (Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) films, hydrogels, electrospun films, vesicle and micelles, etc.) with smart chemical components;
  • Applications of chemically modified photocatalytic nanomaterials in environmental purification, hydrogen production, and dye-sensitized solar cells;
  • Theoretical and experimental understanding of the relationship of chemical molecular structures and performance of related materials.

Prof. Dr. Tifeng Jiao
Prof. Dr. Byoung-Suhk Kim
Prof. Dr. Bingbing Li
Prof. Dr. Peizhi Guo
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • nanocomposites
  • nanostructures
  • self-assembly
  • photocatalyst
  • biosensors
  • energy materials

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 4114 KiB  
Article
One-Pot Synthesis of Bright Blue Luminescent N-Doped GQDs: Optical Properties and Cell Imaging
by Huaidong Wang, Chong Qi, Ailing Yang, Xiaoxu Wang and Jie Xu
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(11), 2798; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11112798 - 22 Oct 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 1796
Abstract
High fluorescent graphene quantum dots (GQDs) are promising in bioimaging and optoelectronics. In this paper, bright blue fluorescent N-doped GQDs were synthesized using a ultrasonic-assisted hydrothermal method. The morphology, structure, surface chemistry, optical properties, and stability subject to photo-bleaching, temperature, pH and preservation [...] Read more.
High fluorescent graphene quantum dots (GQDs) are promising in bioimaging and optoelectronics. In this paper, bright blue fluorescent N-doped GQDs were synthesized using a ultrasonic-assisted hydrothermal method. The morphology, structure, surface chemistry, optical properties, and stability subject to photo-bleaching, temperature, pH and preservation period for the N-GQDs were investigated in detail using various microscopy and spectroscopy techniques. The results showed that the N-GQDs possessed an average size of 2.65 nm, 3.57% N doping, and up to 54% quantum yield (QY). The photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the N-GQDs are excitation dependent when excited in the range of 300–370 nm and excitation independent in the range of 380–500 nm for the core and surface states emission. The N-GQDs showed excellent photo-bleaching resistance and superior photo-stability. At room temperature and in the pH range of 3–8, the fluorescence of the N-GQDs was almost invariable. The N-GQDs can be stably preserved for at least 40 days. The average decay lifetime of the N-GQDs was 2.653 ns, and the radiative and nonradiative decay rate constants were calculated to be 2.04 × 108 s−1 and 1.73 × 108 s−1, respectively. The PL mechanism was qualitatively explained. The N-GQDs was used for cell imaging, and it showed good results, implying great potential applications for bioimaging or biomarking. Full article
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11 pages, 3619 KiB  
Article
Self-Supporting Three-Dimensional Electrospun Nanofibrous Membrane for Highly Efficient Air Filtration
by Gaofeng Zheng, Zungui Shao, Junyu Chen, Jiaxin Jiang, Ping Zhu, Xiang Wang, Wenwang Li and Yifang Liu
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(10), 2567; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11102567 - 29 Sep 2021
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2034
Abstract
High-performance air filtration was the key to health protection from biological and ultrafine dust pollution. A self-supporting, three-dimensional (3D) nanofibrous membrane with curled pattern was electrospun for the filtration, of which the micro-fluffy structure displayed high-filtration efficiency and low-pressure drop. The flow field [...] Read more.
High-performance air filtration was the key to health protection from biological and ultrafine dust pollution. A self-supporting, three-dimensional (3D) nanofibrous membrane with curled pattern was electrospun for the filtration, of which the micro-fluffy structure displayed high-filtration efficiency and low-pressure drop. The flow field in the 3D filtration membrane was simulated to optimize the process parameters to increase the filtration performance. The qualification factor increased from 0.0274 Pa−1 to 0.0309 Pa−1 by 12.77% after the optimization of the electrospinning parameters. The best filtration efficiency and pressure drop were 93.6% and 89.0 Pa, separately. This work provides a new strategy to fabricate 3D structures through the construction of fiber morphology and promotes further improvement of air filtration performance of fibrous filters. Full article
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11 pages, 2911 KiB  
Article
Graphene-Modulated Terahertz Metasurfaces for Selective and Active Control of Dual-Band Electromagnetic Induced Reflection (EIR) Windows
by Xunjun He, Chenguang Sun, Yue Wang, Guangjun Lu, Jiuxing Jiang, Yuqiang Yang and Yachen Gao
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(9), 2420; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11092420 - 17 Sep 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1838
Abstract
Currently, metasurfaces (MSs) integrating with different active materials have been widely explored to actively manipulate the resonance intensity of multi-band electromagnetic induced transparency (EIT) windows. Unfortunately, these hybrid MSs can only realize the global control of multi-EIT windows rather than selective control. Here, [...] Read more.
Currently, metasurfaces (MSs) integrating with different active materials have been widely explored to actively manipulate the resonance intensity of multi-band electromagnetic induced transparency (EIT) windows. Unfortunately, these hybrid MSs can only realize the global control of multi-EIT windows rather than selective control. Here, a graphene-functionalized complementary terahertz MS, composed of a dipole slot and two graphene-integrated quadrupole slots with different sizes, is proposed to execute selective and active control of dual-band electromagnetic induced reflection (EIR) windows. In this structure, dual-band EIR windows arise from the destructive interference caused by the near field coupling between the bright dipole slot and dark quadrupole slot. By embedding graphene ribbons beneath two quadrupole slots, the resonance intensity of two windows can be selectively and actively modulated by adjusting Fermi energy of the corresponding graphene ribbons via electrostatic doping. The theoretical model and field distributions demonstrate that the active tuning behavior can be ascribed to the change in the damper factor of the corresponding dark mode. In addition, the active control of the group delay is further investigated to develop compact slow light devices. Therefore, the selective and active control scheme introduced here can offer new opportunities and platforms for designing multifunctional terahertz devices. Full article
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13 pages, 1778 KiB  
Article
Green Synthesis of Iron Nanoparticles Using Green Tea and Its Removal of Hexavalent Chromium
by Runqin Hao, Dong Li, Jie Zhang and Tifeng Jiao
Nanomaterials 2021, 11(3), 650; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11030650 - 08 Mar 2021
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 4367
Abstract
Chromium (VI) is a ubiquitous groundwater contaminant and it is dangerous to both ecological and human health. Iron nanoparticles (nFe) have a large specific surface area and they are highly efficient in removing chromium (VI) from aqueous solution. However, since the [...] Read more.
Chromium (VI) is a ubiquitous groundwater contaminant and it is dangerous to both ecological and human health. Iron nanoparticles (nFe) have a large specific surface area and they are highly efficient in removing chromium (VI) from aqueous solution. However, since the traditional reductive synthesis of nFe is relatively expensive and often causes secondary pollution, it is necessary to develop a low-cost green synthetic method using plant extracts. Synthetic conditions are important for obtaining highly active chromium-removing nanomaterials. In this paper, a green tea extract was used to prepare nFe and the effects of synthetic conditions on subsequent remediation performance were investigated. The optimal conditions included a green tea extract/Fe2+ ratio of 1:2 (91.6%), a green tea extract temperature of 353 K (88.3%) and a synthetic temperature of 298 K (88.1%). Advanced material characterization techniques, including XPS, SEM-EDS, TEM, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) confirmed that the average particle size was between 50–80 nm, with a specific surface area of 42.25 m2·g−1. Furthermore nFe had a core-shell structure, where Fe (0) constituted the core and a shell was composed of iron oxide. Finally, a mechanism for synthesizing nFe by green tea extract was proposed, providing a theoretical basis for optimized synthetic conditions for preparing nFe when using green tea extract. Full article
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