Nanomaterials for Catalytic Remediation of Environmental Contaminants

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

The growth of population and waste causes the contamination of a significant portion of freshwater. The nature of these pollutants varies; in fact, both organic and inorganic pollutants, such as pharmaceutical products, heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and many others, can be found in water and wastewater. Consequently, this causes damage to all living organisms by originating many chronic or acute diseases. Nanotechnology can aid the removal of these compounds in many ways. For example, nanocatalysts can convert more efficiently toxic pollutants into their less toxic counterparts due to their high surface area to volume ratio, as well as by mimicking homogeneous catalysis by forming a colloidal suspension. This Special Issue aims to collect recent progress in using heterogeneous nanocatalysis for water remediation, including (but not limited to) advanced reduction and oxidation processes. Articles on the degradation of persistent organic pollutants, emerging contaminants, and other organic and inorganic pollutants by nanocatalysts are also welcomed. Research and review papers, short communications, perspectives, and opinions covering the topics mentioned above are invited for submission.

Prof. Dr. Stanisław Wacławek
Dr. Daniele Silvestri
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Catalysts catalysts	3.8	6.8	2011	13.9 Days	CHF 2200
Environments environments	3.5	5.7	2014	22.8 Days	CHF 1800
Materials materials	3.1	5.8	2008	13.9 Days	CHF 2600
Nanomaterials nanomaterials	4.4	8.5	2010	14.1 Days	CHF 2400
Polymers polymers	4.7	8.0	2009	14.5 Days	CHF 2700

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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17 pages, 4353 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Interaction between Pt and Different Crystalline Phases of TiO₂ on Benzene Oxidation

by Hang Cheng, Jiangliang Hu, Dongxia Wu, Weiren Bao, Changming Hou, Xianyan Lv, Liping Chang and Jiancheng Wang

Catalysts 2024, 14(4), 234; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal14040234 - 31 Mar 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1564

Abstract

To evaluate the effects of different TiO₂ crystalline phases on the catalytic oxidation performance of benzene on Pt-loaded TiO₂ catalysts, physicochemical examinations were conducted using several spectroscopic and analytical techniques. Obvious effects on the valence state and morphology of Pt were [...] Read more.

To evaluate the effects of different TiO₂ crystalline phases on the catalytic oxidation performance of benzene on Pt-loaded TiO₂ catalysts, physicochemical examinations were conducted using several spectroscopic and analytical techniques. Obvious effects on the valence state and morphology of Pt were exhibited by different crystalline phases. The rutile phase favored the formation of specific Pt(111) crystal faces, which enhanced the amount of surface-active oxygen species. Moreover, the àPt-O-Ti species was formed between Pt⁴⁺ and Ti at the edge of the Pt nanoparticles, promoting both electron flow and the transfer of reactive oxygen species, thus accounting for catalytic activity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Nanomaterials for Catalytic Remediation of Environmental Contaminants)

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17 pages, 5054 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Development of TiO₂–CaCO₃ Based Composites as an Affordable Building Material for the Photocatalytic Abatement of Hazardous NO_x from the Environment

by Madhan Kuppusamy, Sun-Woo Kim, Kwang-Pill Lee, Young Jin Jo and Wha-Jung Kim

Nanomaterials 2024, 14(2), 136; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14020136 - 6 Jan 2024

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2831

Abstract

This study explores the depollution activity of a photocatalytic cementitious composite comprising various compositions of n-TiO₂ and CaCO₃. The photocatalytic activity of the CaCO₃–TiO₂ composite material is assessed for the aqueous photodegradation efficiency of MB dye solution [...] Read more.

This study explores the depollution activity of a photocatalytic cementitious composite comprising various compositions of n-TiO₂ and CaCO₃. The photocatalytic activity of the CaCO₃–TiO₂ composite material is assessed for the aqueous photodegradation efficiency of MB dye solution and NO_x under UV light exposure. The catalyst CaCO₃–TiO₂ exhibits the importance of an optimal balance between CaCO₃ and n-TiO₂ for the highest NO_x removal of 60% and MB dye removal of 74.6%. The observed trends in the photodegradation of NO_x removal efficiencies suggest a complex interplay between CaCO₃ and TiO₂ content in the CaCO₃–n-TiO₂ composite catalysts. This pollutant removal efficiency is attributed to the synergistic effect between CaCO₃ and n-TiO_2, where a higher percentage of n-TiO₂ appeared to enhance the photocatalytic activity. It is recommended that CaCO₃–TiO₂ photocatalysts are effectiveness in water and air purification, as well as for being cost-effective construction materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Nanomaterials for Catalytic Remediation of Environmental Contaminants)

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27 pages, 3497 KiB  

Open AccessReview

Advantages of Bimetallic Organic Frameworks in the Adsorption, Catalysis and Detection for Water Contaminants

by Jun Luo, Xiao Luo, Yonghai Gan, Xiaoming Xu, Bin Xu, Zhuang Liu, Chengcheng Ding, Yibin Cui and Cheng Sun

Nanomaterials 2023, 13(15), 2194; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13152194 - 28 Jul 2023

Cited by 27 | Viewed by 4197

Abstract

The binary metal organic framework (MOF) is composed of two heterometallic ions bonded to an organic ligand. Compared with monometallic MOFs, bimetallic MOFs have greatly improved in terms of structure, porosity, active site, adsorption, selectivity, and stability, which has attracted wide attention. At [...] Read more.

The binary metal organic framework (MOF) is composed of two heterometallic ions bonded to an organic ligand. Compared with monometallic MOFs, bimetallic MOFs have greatly improved in terms of structure, porosity, active site, adsorption, selectivity, and stability, which has attracted wide attention. At present, many effective strategies have been designed for the synthesis of bimetallic MOF-based nanomaterials with specific morphology, structure, and function. The results show that bimetallic MOF-based nanocomposites could achieve multiple synergistic effects, which will greatly improve their research in the fields of adsorption, catalysis, energy storage, sensing, and so on. In this review, the main preparation methods of bimetallic MOFs-based materials are summarized, with emphasis on their applications in adsorption, catalysis, and detection of target pollutants in water environments, and perspectives on the future development of bimetallic MOFs-based nanomaterials in the field of water are presented. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Nanomaterials for Catalytic Remediation of Environmental Contaminants)

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15 pages, 5343 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Improving the Photocatalytic Activity of Ti₃C₂ MXene by Surface Modification of N Doped

by Lidan Cui, Jianfeng Wen, Quanhao Deng, Xin Du, Tao Tang, Ming Li, Jianrong Xiao, Li Jiang, Guanghui Hu, Xueli Cao and Yi Yao

Materials 2023, 16(7), 2836; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16072836 - 2 Apr 2023

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 4062

Abstract

Methyl orange dye (MO) is one of the azo dyes, which is not only difficult to degrade but also hazardous to human health, therefore, it is necessary to develop an efficient photocatalyst to degrade MO. In this paper, a facile and low-cost elemental [...] Read more.

Methyl orange dye (MO) is one of the azo dyes, which is not only difficult to degrade but also hazardous to human health, therefore, it is necessary to develop an efficient photocatalyst to degrade MO. In this paper, a facile and low-cost elemental doping method was used for the surface modification of Ti₃C₂ MXene, i.e., nitrogen-doped titanium carbide was used as the nitrogen source, and the strategy of combining solvent heat treatment with non-in situ nitrogen doping was used to prepare N-Ti₃C₂ MXene two-dimensional nanomaterials with high catalytic activity. It was found that the catalytic efficiency of N-Ti₃C₂ MXene materials was enhanced and improved compared to the non-doped Ti₃C₂ MXene. In particular, N-Ti₃C₂ 1:8 MXene showed the best photo-catalytic ability, as demonstrated by the fact that the N-Ti₃C₂ 1:8 MXene material successfully degraded 98.73% of MO (20 mg/L) under UV lamp irradiation for 20 min, and its catalytic efficiency was about ten times that of Ti₃C₂ MXene, and the N-Ti₃C₂ photo-catalyst still showed good stability after four cycles. This work shows a simplified method for solvent heat-treating non-in situ nitrogen-doped Ti₃C₂ MXene, and also elaborates on the photo-catalytic mechanism of N-Ti₃C₂ MXene, showing that the high photo-catalytic effect of N-Ti₃C₂ MXene is due to the synergistic effect of its efficient charge transfer and surface-rich moieties. Therefore, N-Ti₃C₂ MXene has a good prospect as a photo-catalyst in the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Nanomaterials for Catalytic Remediation of Environmental Contaminants)

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17 pages, 4159 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Insights into the Role of Nanorod-Shaped MnO₂ and CeO₂ in a Plasma Catalysis System for Methanol Oxidation

by Guangyi Zhang, Gui Chen, Haomin Huang, Yexia Qin, Mingli Fu, Xin Tu, Daiqi Ye and Junliang Wu

Nanomaterials 2023, 13(6), 1026; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13061026 - 13 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2272

Abstract

Published papers highlight the roles of the catalysts in plasma catalysis systems, and it is essential to provide deep insight into the mechanism of the reaction. In this work, a coaxial dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor packed with γ-MnO₂ and CeO₂ [...] Read more.

Published papers highlight the roles of the catalysts in plasma catalysis systems, and it is essential to provide deep insight into the mechanism of the reaction. In this work, a coaxial dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor packed with γ-MnO₂ and CeO₂ with similar nanorod morphologies and particle sizes was used for methanol oxidation at atmospheric pressure and room temperature. The experimental results showed that both γ-MnO₂ and CeO₂ exhibited good performance in methanol conversion (up to 100%), but the CO₂ selectivity of CeO₂ (up to 59.3%) was much higher than that of γ-MnO₂ (up to 28.6%). Catalyst characterization results indicated that CeO₂ contained more surface-active oxygen species, adsorbed more methanol and utilized more plasma-induced active species than γ-MnO₂. In addition, in situ Raman spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) were applied with a novel in situ cell to reveal the major factors affecting the catalytic performance in methanol oxidation. More reactive oxygen species (O₂²⁻, O²⁻) from ozone decomposition were produced on CeO₂ compared with γ-MnO₂, and less of the intermediate product formate accumulated on the CeO₂. The combined results showed that CeO₂ was a more effective catalyst than γ-MnO₂ for methanol oxidation in the plasma catalysis system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Nanomaterials for Catalytic Remediation of Environmental Contaminants)

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23 pages, 6452 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Facile Synthesis and Characterizations of Mixed Metal Oxide Nanoparticles for the Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation of Rhodamine B and Congo Red Dyes

by Ehab A. Abdelrahman and Eida S. Al-Farraj

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(22), 3992; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12223992 - 12 Nov 2022

Cited by 33 | Viewed by 3512

Abstract

Photocatalytic degradation has been suggested to be a cheap and efficient way to dispose of organic pollutants, such as dyes. Therefore, our research team strives to produce nanophotocatalysts in a simple and inexpensive way. In this work, the Pechini sol–gel technique was employed [...] Read more.

Photocatalytic degradation has been suggested to be a cheap and efficient way to dispose of organic pollutants, such as dyes. Therefore, our research team strives to produce nanophotocatalysts in a simple and inexpensive way. In this work, the Pechini sol–gel technique was employed for the facile synthesis of Mn_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄/Fe₂O₃ and Fe_0.5Mn_0.5Co₂O₄/Fe₂O₃ as mixed metal oxide nanoparticles for the efficient photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B and Congo Red dyes. XRD, FT-IR, a N₂ adsorption/desorption analyzer, EDS, FE-SEM, and an UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectrophotometer were used to characterize the produced samples. The XRD patterns revealed that the average crystallite size of the Fe_0.5Mn_0.5Co₂O₄/Fe₂O₃ and Mn_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄/Fe₂O₃ samples is 90.25 and 80.62 nm, respectively. The FE-SEM images revealed that the Fe_0.5Mn_0.5Co₂O₄/Fe₂O₃ sample consists of cubic and irregular shapes with an average diameter of 1.71 µm. Additionally, the Mn_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄/Fe₂O₃ sample consists of spherical shapes with an average diameter of 0.26 µm. The energy gaps of the Fe_0.5Mn_0.5Co₂O₄/Fe₂O₃ and Mn_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄/Fe₂O₃ samples are 3.50 and 4.3 eV and 3.52 and 4.20 eV, respectively. In the presence of hydrogen peroxide, the complete degradation of 100 mL of 20 mg/L of Rhodamine B and Congo Red dyes occurred at pH = 8 and 3, respectively, within 50 min, using 0.1 g of the synthesized samples. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Nanomaterials for Catalytic Remediation of Environmental Contaminants)

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27 pages, 4188 KiB  

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Advances in the Applications of Nanomaterials for Wastewater Treatment

by Emmanuel I. Epelle, Patrick U. Okoye, Siobhan Roddy, Burcu Gunes and Jude A. Okolie

Environments 2022, 9(11), 141; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments9110141 - 10 Nov 2022

Cited by 40 | Viewed by 12987

Abstract

Freshwater is in limited supply, and the growing population further contributes to its scarcity. The effective treatment of wastewater is essential now more than ever, because waterborne infections significantly contribute to global deaths, and millions of people are deprived of safe drinking water. [...] Read more.

Freshwater is in limited supply, and the growing population further contributes to its scarcity. The effective treatment of wastewater is essential now more than ever, because waterborne infections significantly contribute to global deaths, and millions of people are deprived of safe drinking water. Current wastewater treatment technologies include preliminary, primary, secondary, and tertiary treatments, which are effective in removing several contaminants; however, contaminants in the nanoscale range are often difficult to eliminate using these steps. Some of these include organic and inorganic pollutants, pharmaceuticals, pathogens and contaminants of emerging concern. The use of nanomaterials is a promising solution to this problem. Nanoparticles have unique properties allowing them to efficiently remove residual contaminants while being cost-effective and environmentally friendly. In this review, the need for novel developments in nanotechnology for wastewater treatment is discussed, as well as key nanomaterials and their corresponding target contaminants, which they are effective against. The nanomaterials of focus in this review are carbon nanotubes, graphene-based nanosheets, fullerenes, silver nanoparticles, copper nanoparticles and iron nanoparticles. Finally, the challenges and prospects of nanoparticle utilisation in the context of wastewater treatment are presented. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Nanomaterials for Catalytic Remediation of Environmental Contaminants)

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13 pages, 3145 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Controllable Phase Transformation and Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance of Nano-TiO₂ by Using Oxalic Acid

by Jiaqi Chen, Jian Gao, Xiaoyang Liu, Pan Wang, Xue Yu, Feng Zhao, Yan Sun, Wei Feng and Qingyuan Wang

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(17), 3019; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12173019 - 31 Aug 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2095

Abstract

Degradation of organic pollutants, especially organic dyes and antibiotics, by semiconductor photocatalysts is an efficient strategy for wastewater treatment. TiO₂ nanomaterials are considered to be promising photocatalysts due to their high chemical stability, high efficiency and availability. Anatase TiO₂ generally has [...] Read more.

Degradation of organic pollutants, especially organic dyes and antibiotics, by semiconductor photocatalysts is an efficient strategy for wastewater treatment. TiO₂ nanomaterials are considered to be promising photocatalysts due to their high chemical stability, high efficiency and availability. Anatase TiO₂ generally has superior photocatalytic activity to the rutile phase. However, the anatase phase can be irreversibly transformed to rutile phase when calcined at an elevated temperature. Methods to improve the stability of anatase are especially important for the TiO₂ gas sensors working at high temperatures. The addition of strong acids can effectively suppress this transformation process. However, these strong acids are relatively expensive, corrosive and environmentally unfriendly. Herein, oxalic acid (OA) as a natural acid was used to control the hydrolysis process of tetrabutyl titanate (TBOT), leading to controllable crystalline phase transformation and reduced crystalline size of TiO₂ on the nanoscale. What is more, the photocatalytic degradation performances were enhanced continuously when the molar ratio of OA to TBOT increased. The degradation reaction rate constants of CT650-R25 were about 10 times that of CT650-R0. The mechanism study shows that the enhanced photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the improved dispersibility, increased specific surface area and reduced recombination rates of photo-induced charge carriers and decreased energy bands as the concentration of OA increased. Thus, this work provides a simple, mild and effective method for controlling the crystalline forms of nano-TiO₂ with enhanced photocatalytic performance towards waste water treatment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Nanomaterials for Catalytic Remediation of Environmental Contaminants)

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14 pages, 23252 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Co₃O₄ Nanopetals Grown on the Porous CuO Network for the Photocatalytic Degradation

by Yuntao Sun, Can Wang, Shengyao Qin, Fengda Pan, Yongyan Li, Zhifeng Wang and Chunling Qin

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(16), 2850; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12162850 - 18 Aug 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2476

Abstract

Designing a novel photocatalytic composite for the efficient degradation of organic dyes remains a serious challenge. Herein, the multi-layered Co₃O₄@NP-CuO photocatalyst with unique features, i.e., the self-supporting, hierarchical porous network as well as the construction of heterojunction between Co [...] Read more.

Designing a novel photocatalytic composite for the efficient degradation of organic dyes remains a serious challenge. Herein, the multi-layered Co₃O₄@NP-CuO photocatalyst with unique features, i.e., the self-supporting, hierarchical porous network as well as the construction of heterojunction between Co₃O₄ and CuO, are synthesized by dealloying-electrodeposition and subsequent thermal treatment techniques. It is found that the interwoven ultrathin Co₃O₄ nanopetals evenly grow on the nanoporous CuO network (Co₃O₄@NP-CuO). The three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical porous structure for the catalyst provides more surface area to act as active sites and facilitates the absorption of visible light in the photodegradation reaction. Compared with the commercial CuO and Co₃O₄ powders, the newly designed Co₃O₄@NP-CuO composite exhibits superior photodegradation performance for RhB. The enhanced performance is mainly due to the construction of heterojunction of Co₃O₄/CuO, greatly promoting the efficient carrier separation for photocatalysis. Furthermore, the possible photocatalytic mechanism is analyzed in detail. This work provides a promising strategy for the fabrication of a new controllable heterojunction to improve photocatalytic activity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Nanomaterials for Catalytic Remediation of Environmental Contaminants)

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