Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
4.0
2.8
Journals
ChemEngineering
Special Issues
The Synthesis, Characterization, and Application of Novel Photocatalytic Materials
share announcement

The Synthesis, Characterization, and Application of Novel Photocatalytic Materials

A special issue of ChemEngineering (ISSN 2305-7084).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 September 2024) | Viewed by 9977

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Chrysoula Athanasekou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Demokritos National Centre for Scientific Research, Athens, Greece
Interests: photocatalysis; water pollutants; AOPs
Dr. Nikolaos G. Moustakas

E-Mail
Guest Editor
Leibniz Institute for Catalysis (LIKAT), Rostock, Germany
Interests: photocatalysis; artificial photosynthesis; solar fuels; the synthesis of advanced nanomaterials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A photocatalyst is a semiconductor that, when irradiated, adsorbs energy equal to or greater than its bandgap; therefore, a valence electron is excited into the conduction band, leaving a valence band hole behind. These photogenerated electrons and holes reach the surface of the semiconductor, where they reduce the species or act as oxidizing agents, respectively. Among all photocatalysts, oxide-based materials have been found to be more active, environmentally compatible and stable, with TiO2 being studied thoroughly. Nevertheless, innovative photocatalytic materials synthesized through green approaches are being reported constantly. Challenging issues in the design of efficient photocatalytic materials include eliminating charge recombination, expanding light absorption over the ultraviolet region, and overcoming deactivation due to the adsorption of photodegradation reaction products on their surface. These novel photocatalytic materials can be applied to environmental remediation, such as water and wastewater treatment and reuse, or air and industrial gas stream treatment. They could also be utilized for potential applications in food preservation, water splitting, self-cleaning surfaces, or testing for antimicrobial properties.

Authors are welcome to cover any of the issues mentioned above according to their expertise.

Dr. Chrysoula Athanasekou
Dr. Nikolaos G. Moustakas
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. ChemEngineering 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 1600 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

  • visible/solar light harvesting
  • advanced oxidation/reduction technologies
  • water and wastewater treatment/reuse
  • self-cleaning surfaces
  • air treatment
  • food preservation
  • water splitting
  • antimicrobial properties
  • industrial gas stream treatment
  • green synthesis

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

21 pages, 6382 KiB  
Article
Oxalic Acid-Assisted Photo-Fenton Catalysis Using Magnetic Fe3O4 Nanoparticles for Complete Removal of Textile Dye
by Sunil Bhavsar, Pravin Dudhagara, Anjana Ghelani, I Nengah Wirajana, Quyet-Tien Phi, Yih-Yuan Chen and Douglas J. H. Shyu
ChemEngineering 2024, 8(4), 67; https://doi.org/10.3390/chemengineering8040067 - 28 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1110
Abstract
Textile industry effluents contain several hazardous substances, such as dye-containing effluents, which pose environmental and aesthetic challenges. Presently, the microbial-based remediation process is in use. This study investigated the application of ferrous–ferric oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles, a readily formulated nanoadsorbent, [...] Read more.
Textile industry effluents contain several hazardous substances, such as dye-containing effluents, which pose environmental and aesthetic challenges. Presently, the microbial-based remediation process is in use. This study investigated the application of ferrous–ferric oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles, a readily formulated nanoadsorbent, to remove scattered dye molecules from industrial effluents. The ferrous–ferric oxide nanoparticles were prepared using a chemical co-precipitation method. The nanoparticles had 26.93 emu g−1 magnetization, with sizes smaller than 20 nm, and possessed a highly purified cubic spinel crystallite structure. The catalytic activity of the iron oxide depended on the dose, photocatalytic enhancer, i.e., H2O2 level, pH of the reaction medium, and dye concentration. We optimized the Fenton-like reaction to work best using 1.0 g/L of ferrous–ferric oxide nanoparticles, 60 mM oxalic acid at pH 7.0, and 60 ppm of dye. Iron oxides act as photocatalysts, and oxalic acid generates electron–hole pairs. Consequently, higher amounts of super-radicals cause the rapid degradation of dye and pseudo-first-order reactions. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis revealed the ferrous–ferric oxide nanoparticles decolorized and destroyed Disperse Red 277 in 180 min under visible light. Hence, complete demineralization is observed using a photo-Fenton-like reaction within 3 h under visible light. These high-capacity, easy-to-separate next-generation adsorption systems are suggested to be suitable for industrial-scale use. Ferrous–ferric oxide nanoparticles with increased adsorption and magnetic properties could be utilized to clean environmental pollution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Synthesis, Characterization, and Application of Novel Photocatalytic Materials)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

22 pages, 6052 KiB  
Article
Photocatalytic Degradation of Tartrazine and Naphthol Blue Black Binary Mixture with the TiO2 Nanosphere under Visible Light: Box-Behnken Experimental Design Optimization and Salt Effect
by Fadimatou Hassan, Bouba Talami, Amira Almansba, Pierre Bonnet, Christophe Caperaa, Sadou Dalhatou, Abdoulaye Kane and Hicham Zeghioud
ChemEngineering 2024, 8(3), 50; https://doi.org/10.3390/chemengineering8030050 - 3 May 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1609
Abstract
In this study, TiO2 nanospheres (TiO2-NS) were synthesized by the solvothermal method. Firstly, the synthesized nanomaterial was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV-Vis Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS). To study the photocatalytic [...] Read more.
In this study, TiO2 nanospheres (TiO2-NS) were synthesized by the solvothermal method. Firstly, the synthesized nanomaterial was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV-Vis Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS). To study the photocatalytic degradation of Tartrazine (TTZ) and Naphthol Blue Black (NBB) in a binary mixture, the influence of some key parameters such as pH, pollutant concentration and catalyst dose was taken into account under visible and UV light. The results show a 100% degradation efficiency for TTZ after 150 min of UV irradiation and 57% under visible irradiation at 180 min. The kinetic study showed a good pseudo-first-order fit to the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model. Furthermore, in order to get closer to the real conditions of textile wastewater, the influence of the presence of salt on TiO2-NS’s photocatalytic performance was explored by employing NaCl as an inorganic ion. The optimum conditions provided by the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) were low concentrations of TTZ (2 ppm) and NBB (2.33 ppm) and negligible salt (NaCl) interference. The percentage of photodegradation was high at low pollutant and NaCl concentrations. However, this yield became very low as NaCl concentrations increased. The photocatalytic treatment leads to 31% and 53% of mineralization yield after 1 and 3 h of visible light irradiation. The synthesis of TiO2-NS provides new insights that will help to develop an efficient photocatalysts for the remediation of contaminated water. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Synthesis, Characterization, and Application of Novel Photocatalytic Materials)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 3032 KiB  
Article
Novel Bi-Functional MoS2/α-Fe2O3 Nanocomposites for High Photocatalytic Performance
by Islam Ibrahim, Pinelopi P. Falara, Elias Sakellis, Maria Antoniadou, Chrysoula Athanasekou and Michalis K. Arfanis
ChemEngineering 2024, 8(1), 20; https://doi.org/10.3390/chemengineering8010020 - 6 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2081
Abstract
In this study, 3-dimensional molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) structures, integrated with hematite (α-Fe2O3) nanoparticles, were fabricated under a convenient two-step hydrothermal route. The fabricated photocatalytic nanocomposites consist of well-arranged MoS2 flakes, resembling spherical flower-like morphology, and the [...] Read more.
In this study, 3-dimensional molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) structures, integrated with hematite (α-Fe2O3) nanoparticles, were fabricated under a convenient two-step hydrothermal route. The fabricated photocatalytic nanocomposites consist of well-arranged MoS2 flakes, resembling spherical flower-like morphology, and the nanoparticulate α-Fe2O3 structures decorate the 3D network. By raising the α-Fe2O3 weight ratio, the composites’ specific surface area and morphology were not affected, regardless of the partial cover of the cavities for higher hematite content. Moreover, the crystallinity examination with XRD, Raman, and FTIR techniques revealed that the precursor reagents were fully transformed to well-crystalized MoS2 and Fe2O3 composites of high purity, as no organic or inorganic residues could be detected. The photocatalytic oxidation and reduction performance of these composites was evaluated against the tetracycline pharmaceutical and the industrial pollutant hexavalent chromium, respectively. The improvement in the removal efficiencies demonstrates that the superior photoactivity originates from the high crystallinity and homogeneity of the composite, in combination with the enhanced charge carriers’ separation in the semiconductors’ interface. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Synthesis, Characterization, and Application of Novel Photocatalytic Materials)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

41 pages, 2395 KiB  
Review
Introduction and Advancements in Room-Temperature Ferromagnetic Metal Oxide Semiconductors for Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance
by Ganeshraja Ayyakannu Sundaram, Govinda raj Muniyandi, Jayashree Ethiraj, Vairavel Parimelazhagan and Alagarsamy Santhana Krishna Kumar
ChemEngineering 2024, 8(2), 36; https://doi.org/10.3390/chemengineering8020036 - 1 Apr 2024
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2465
Abstract
Recent advancements in the field of room-temperature ferromagnetic metal oxide semiconductors (RTFMOS) have revealed their promising potential for enhancing photocatalytic performance. This review delves into the combined investigation of the photocatalytic and ferromagnetic properties at room temperature, with a particular focus on metal [...] Read more.
Recent advancements in the field of room-temperature ferromagnetic metal oxide semiconductors (RTFMOS) have revealed their promising potential for enhancing photocatalytic performance. This review delves into the combined investigation of the photocatalytic and ferromagnetic properties at room temperature, with a particular focus on metal oxides like TiO2, which have emerged as pivotal materials in the fields of magnetism and environmental remediation. Despite extensive research efforts, the precise mechanism governing the interplay between ferromagnetism and photocatalysis in these materials remains only partially understood. Several crucial factors contributing to magnetism, such as oxygen vacancies and various metal dopants, have been identified. Numerous studies have highlighted the significant role of these factors in driving room-temperature ferromagnetism and photocatalytic activity in wide-bandgap metal oxides. However, establishing a direct correlation between magnetism, oxygen vacancies, dopant concentration, and photocatalysis has posed significant challenges. These RTFMOS hold immense potential to significantly boost photocatalytic efficiency, offering promising solutions for diverse environmental- and energy-related applications, including water purification, air pollution control, and solar energy conversion. This review aims to offer a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in understanding the magnetism and photocatalytic behavior of metal oxides. By synthesizing the latest findings, this study sheds light on the considerable promise of RTFMOS as effective photocatalysts, thus contributing to advancements in environmental remediation and related fields. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Synthesis, Characterization, and Application of Novel Photocatalytic Materials)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

45 pages, 5960 KiB  
Review
Smart Poly(N-Isopropylacrylamide)-Based Microgels Supplemented with Nanomaterials for Catalytic Reduction Reactions—A Review
by Mir Waqas Alam
ChemEngineering 2023, 7(6), 105; https://doi.org/10.3390/chemengineering7060105 - 2 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1894
Abstract
The continuous and irresponsible addition of environmental pollutants into aqueous reservoirs due to excessive industrialization is a significant contemporary challenge. Nanomaterial-based catalytic reduction provides an effective way to convert these materials into environmentally useful products. Responsive polymeric assemblies, complemented with nanomaterials, represent advanced [...] Read more.
The continuous and irresponsible addition of environmental pollutants into aqueous reservoirs due to excessive industrialization is a significant contemporary challenge. Nanomaterial-based catalytic reduction provides an effective way to convert these materials into environmentally useful products. Responsive polymeric assemblies, complemented with nanomaterials, represent advanced nanocatalysts that are gaining interest within the scientific community. These assemblies exhibit reversible morphological transitions in response to variations induced by external factors such as temperature, pH, or electromagnetic irradiation treatment. The term hybrid microgels has been coined for assemblies that contain both nanomaterial and smart polymeric components. This review presents recent advancements in the field of hybrid microgels as nanocatalysts for conducting reduction reactions on pollutants present in aqueous media. Apart from placing detailed emphasis on the advancements documented for these assemblies, the fundamentals associated with hybrid microgels, as well as the typical catalytic reduction, are also emphasized to develop an understanding for new academicians looking to explore this field. The author hopes that this critical review of the most recent academic literature, including the years spanning 2020 to 2023, will serve as a tutorial for the identification of research gaps in this field, along with its prospective solutions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Synthesis, Characterization, and Application of Novel Photocatalytic Materials)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-5
Back to TopTop