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Sustainable Functional Materials

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 12244

Special Issue Editors


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Assistant Guest Editor
Departament de Química, Unitat de Química Física Edifici Cn, Facultat de Ciències, Campus de la UAB · 08193 Bellaterra, (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Barcelona, Spain
Interests: electrochemistry; electrochromism; ionic liquids; smart devices; biosensors

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Assistant Guest Editor
Departamento de Química, LAQV-REQUIMTE, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2825-149 Caparica, Portugal
Interests: organic chemistry technology; sustainable chemistry; asymmetric catalysis; asymmetric photoorganocatalysis; photodegradation for water treatment; task-specific ionic liquids; chiral ionic liquids; polymeric ionic liquids; deep eutectic solvents

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Assistant Guest Editor
Departamento de Química, LAQV-REQUIMTE, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2825-149 Caparica, Portugal
Interests: development of sustainable chemistry and applied functional materials; including ionic systems-based ionic liquids and eutectic solvents for sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Chief Guest Editor
Departamento de Química, LAQV-REQUIMTE, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2825-149 Caparica, Portugal
Interests: electrochemistry; electrochromism; electrolytes; smart materials; sustainable chemistry; sustainable energy materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is focused on “Sustainable Functional Materials” including the development of functional stimuli-responsive (“smart”) materials, task-specific ionic liquids, eutectic systems, charged and non-charged organic, and inorganic polymers, among others. Some of these materials can be designed to change their chemical or physical properties in response to external stimuli, such as pH, light, temperature, pressure, and electrical fields. One of the goals of this Special Issue is merging the advances in the synthesis, characterization, and design of new materials with their potential applications in different research areas. Sustainability and energy are two relevant topics in the context of this Special Issue.

All contributions including original research articles, short communications, and reviews are welcome for this multidisciplinary Special Issue.

The covered topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

Electronic, photovoltaics, thermoelectric, optical, and magnetic materials (including sensors, dielectrics, pyroelectrics, piezoelectric, and ferroelectrics); electrochromic materials in car rear-view mirrors and smart windows; photochromic materials; bio-inspired, safe-healing biomaterials, nanomaterials, and polymers for different applications in sustainability, energy, catalysis, and other related fields.

Dr. Hugo Cruz
Dr. Gonzalo Guirado
Dr. Karolina Zalewska Patricio
Dr. Luis Cobra Branco
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

  • task specific ionic liquids
  • eutectic systems
  • polymeric materials
  • responsive materials
  • sustainable materials
  • advanced energy materials

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 4315 KiB  
Article
Pt(dithiolene)-Based Colorimetric Chemosensors for Multiple Metal-Ion Sensing
by Heawon Son, Seohyeon Jang, Gayoung Lim, Taeyong Kim, Inho Nam and Dong-Youn Noh
Sustainability 2021, 13(15), 8160; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158160 - 21 Jul 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1831
Abstract
Colorimetric chemosensors are widely employed for in-field analysis to detect transition metal ions in real-time with the naked eye. Colorimetric chemosensors have attracted considerable attention because they can conveniently provide quantitative and qualitative information at a low cost. However, the development of colorimetric [...] Read more.
Colorimetric chemosensors are widely employed for in-field analysis to detect transition metal ions in real-time with the naked eye. Colorimetric chemosensors have attracted considerable attention because they can conveniently provide quantitative and qualitative information at a low cost. However, the development of colorimetric chemosensors for multiple-ion sensing where metal cations coexist has been limited. For this reason, we developed a new type of transition metal ion sensing material by selectively replacing functional groups on (diphosphine)Pt(dmit) molecules. The terminal groups of the diphosphine ligand were successfully substituted by the cyclohexyl groups, increasing the electron density of the thione moiety. Due to the electron donation ability of the cyclohexyl terminal groups, the proposed chemosensing material was able to selectively detect the mixture of Hg2+, Cu2+, and Ag+ in the presence of many types of interfering cations. To gain insight into the binding mechanisms between the metal ions and the developed (dchpe)Pt(dmit) molecule, density functional theory calculations were also performed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Functional Materials)
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Review

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19 pages, 2177 KiB  
Review
The Potential of rGO@TiO2 Photocatalyst for the Degradation of Organic Pollutants in Water
by Martina Kocijan, Lidija Ćurković, Gil Gonçalves and Matejka Podlogar
Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12703; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912703 - 06 Oct 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1980
Abstract
The availability of clean water is essential for humans wellbeing and the diverse biotic population in the environment. Menkind imposes a significant pressure on food supplies, natural resources, and other commodities. Large-scale anthropogenic activities, such as agriculture and industry, which are practiced to [...] Read more.
The availability of clean water is essential for humans wellbeing and the diverse biotic population in the environment. Menkind imposes a significant pressure on food supplies, natural resources, and other commodities. Large-scale anthropogenic activities, such as agriculture and industry, which are practiced to ensure population growth and survival, have caused several harmful environmental effects, including the discharge of pollutants into the aquatic environment. Among them organic micropollutants (OMPs) are considered a significant threat to aquatic ecosystems. The efficient removal of this persistent pollutants from wastewater is nowadays commonly considered in water treatment technologies. Utilizing photocatalysis by harvesting solar energy as an inexhaustible source, represents a facile and easy to upscale solution, for removing persistent pollutants and other emerging contaminants. In the recent decade, graphene-based titanium dioxide catalyst (rGO@TiO2) has received a lot of attention as an effective material for the degradation in the enviroment. This review summarizes the recent progress in preparing rGO@TiO2 nanocomposites and their utilization for purification purposes. Its main advantage over many other photocatalysts is its easy preparation, low toxicity, and reasonable photo-activity in a specific solar light spectrum. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Functional Materials)
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27 pages, 4123 KiB  
Review
Biochar-Added Cementitious Materials—A Review on Mechanical, Thermal, and Environmental Properties
by Rhoda Afriyie Mensah, Vigneshwaran Shanmugam, Sreenivasan Narayanan, Nima Razavi, Adrian Ulfberg, Thomas Blanksvärd, Faez Sayahi, Peter Simonsson, Benjamin Reinke, Michael Försth, Gabriel Sas, Daria Sas and Oisik Das
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9336; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169336 - 20 Aug 2021
Cited by 40 | Viewed by 7252
Abstract
The enhanced carbon footprint of the construction sector has created the need for CO2 emission control and mitigation. CO2 emissions in the construction sector are influenced by a variety of factors, including raw material preparation, cement production, and, most notably, the [...] Read more.
The enhanced carbon footprint of the construction sector has created the need for CO2 emission control and mitigation. CO2 emissions in the construction sector are influenced by a variety of factors, including raw material preparation, cement production, and, most notably, the construction process. Thus, using biobased constituents in cement could reduce CO2 emissions. However, biobased constituents can degrade and have a negative impact on cement performance. Recently, carbonised biomass known as biochar has been found to be an effective partial replacement for cement. Various studies have reported improved mechanical strength and thermal properties with the inclusion of biochar in concrete. To comprehend the properties of biochar-added cementitious materials, the properties of biochar and their effect on concrete need to be examined. This review provides a critical examination of the mechanical and thermal properties of biochar and biochar-added cementitious materials. The study also covers biochar’s life cycle assessment and economic benefits. Overall, the purpose of this review article is to provide a means for researchers in the relevant field to gain a deeper understanding of the innate properties of biochar imparted into biochar-added cementitious materials for property enhancement and reduction of CO2 emissions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Functional Materials)
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