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Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials for Environmental and Energy Sustainability

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 778

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Chemistry Department, Carnegie Mellon University, Doha, Qatar
Interests: plasmonic nanoparticles; metal oxides nanoparticles; environmental remediation; optical nanosensors; sustainable energy

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Guest Editor
Department of Engineering and Industrial Professions, University of North Alabama, Florence, AL 35632, USA
Interests: CFD; thermal engineering; renewable energy; nanofluid

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nanotechnology stands at the forefront of sustainable innovation, offering transformative solutions for environmental remediation and the advancement of sustainable clean energy. This Special Issue, "Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials for Environmental and Energy Sustainability," seeks to showcase pioneering research on the design, synthesis, and application of nanomaterials aimed at adopting a cleaner and more sustainable future.

This Special Issue concentrates on the dual role of nanotechnology in the following areas:

  • Environmental Remediation: Exploring nanomaterial applications in water and air purification, soil remediation, heavy metal removal, and carbon capture.
  • Renewable Energy: Investigating the integration of nanomaterials in solar cells, hydrogen production, supercapacitors, and next-generation batteries to facilitate cleaner energy transitions. 

The goal of this Issue is to bridge environmental and energy sustainability by gathering cutting-edge research that contributes to both pollution control and clean energy development. We welcome original research articles, comprehensive reviews, and insightful case studies on the following topics:

  1. Nanotechnology for environmental remediation:
  • Nanomaterial-based water purification, air pollution control, and soil remediation.
  • Heavy metal removal and advanced adsorption technologies.
  • Green synthesis and biodegradable nanomaterials for pollution control.
  • Photocatalytic degradation of organic and inorganic pollutants.
  1. Nanotechnology for renewable energy and sustainability:
  • Nanomaterials for solar cells, fuel cells, and hydrogen production.
  • Advanced nanostructures for batteries and supercapacitors.
  • Carbon capture, storage, and utilization using nanotechnology.
  • Nanotechnology in circular economy and energy-efficient processes.
  • Nanofluids and their contribution in energy conservation.
  1. Sustainability, toxicity, and policy considerations:
  • Environmental safety, toxicity, and regulatory perspectives of nanomaterials.
  • Life-cycle assessment and impact of nanotechnology on sustainability goals.

Dr. Nimer Murshid
Dr. Wael Al-Kouz
Guest Editors

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. Sustainability 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

  • nanotechnology
  • nanomaterials
  • nanofluid
  • pollutant detection
  • environmental remediation
  • renewable energy
  • sustainability
  • green synthesis
  • pollution mitigation
  • energy storage

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

13 pages, 1297 KiB  
Article
Principal Component Analysis of Biomass-Derived Carbon Aerogels: Unveiling Key Performance Factors for Supercapacitor Applications
by Khaled Younes, Semaan Amine, Christina El Sawda, Samer El-Zahab, Jack Arayro, Rabih Mezher, Jalal Halwani, Baghdad Ouddane and Eddie Gazo-Hanna
Sustainability 2025, 17(10), 4530; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17104530 - 15 May 2025
Viewed by 452
Abstract
The demand for sustainable energy storage solutions has led to increased interest in biomass-derived carbon aerogels as electrode materials for supercapacitors. These materials offer a high surface area, tunable porosity, and excellent electrochemical properties while utilizing renewable and waste biomass sources. This study [...] Read more.
The demand for sustainable energy storage solutions has led to increased interest in biomass-derived carbon aerogels as electrode materials for supercapacitors. These materials offer a high surface area, tunable porosity, and excellent electrochemical properties while utilizing renewable and waste biomass sources. This study evaluates the electrochemical performance of various biomass-based carbon aerogels, including those derived from cellulose, lignin, chitosan, and biomass waste, to identify key factors influencing supercapacitor efficiency. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is employed to systematically analyze the relationships between structural and electrochemical properties, such as the specific surface area, specific capacitance, capacity retention, rate capability, energy density, and power density. The PCA results indicate that the first two principal components (PC1 and PC2) explain 58.20% of the total variance, with capacity retention (26.22%), energy density (19.55%), and specific capacitance (18.48%) identified as the most critical quantitative factors influencing supercapacitor performance. Chitosan-derived carbon aerogels exhibit superior capacitance and energy density, with a specific capacitance reaching up to 1074 F/g and energy density of 40.18 Wh/kg, whereas lignin-based aerogels demonstrate a high structural stability and capacity retention (up to 97.4%). Biomass waste-derived aerogels, despite their lower performance (176–298.6 F/g capacitance, 81.6–91.7% retention), provide cost-effective and environmentally sustainable alternatives. This quantitative analysis offers valuable insights into the rational design of high-performance, biomass-based aerogels, contributing significantly to the development of sustainable energy storage technologies. Full article
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