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Advanced Functional Materials toward Sustainable Development Technologies: Prospect and Challenges
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Advanced Functional Materials toward Sustainable Development Technologies: Prospect and Challenges

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Green Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 April 2024) | Viewed by 15543

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Menglei Yuan

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Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, China
Interests: homogeneous catalysis; electrocatalytic small molecule activation; functional batteries; green electroorganic synthesis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Qiongguang Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Anhui Jianzhu University, Hefei 230601, China
Interests: alkali ion batteries; electrocatalysis; nanomaterials; alloy materials; homogeneous catalysis
Dr. Meng Yao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China
Interests: solid polymer electrolytes; sodium ion batteries; cathode materials; solid energy storage devices
Dr. Hailun Yang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Research Institute of Petroleum Processing, SINOPEC, Beijing 100190, China
Interests: environmental nanotechnology; metal separation and recovery; sustainable energy storage; water treatment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Research on green technology to aid in global issues and promote collaborative regional governance is increasingly becoming a social concern, and an important initiative in the quest for sustainable development lies in improving such technology. With the continuous development of nanoscience, the precise regulation and goal-oriented application of functional materials has played an increasingly important role in promoting sustainable development. Therefore, research into new functional materials and their applications is being accelerated in several domains to further enhance the greening of industrial processes. This Special Issue aims to provide a good platform for the exchange of advanced functional materials research for sustainable development technologies.

Research papers and review papers are welcome. Possible research topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Experimental and theoretical studies in the fields of green heterogeneous catalysis and molecular catalysis;
  • Environmental chemical and process engineering, including pollution control and separation processes;
  • Structure and performance relationships for advanced functional materials;
  • Novel materials for energy storage and conversion and advanced applications;
  • Other technologies related to advanced functional materials for sustainability.

Dr. Menglei Yuan
Dr. Qiongguang Li
Dr. Meng Yao
Guest Editors

Dr. Hailun Yang
Guest Editor Assistant

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. Materials 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 2600 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

  • advanced functional materials
  • heterogeneous catalysis
  • small-molecule activation
  • functional batteries
  • green electro-organic synthesis
  • energy storage
  • separation processes
  • resource recovery
  • pollution control

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 3632 KiB  
Article
The Solvent Role for the Decomposition of Paracetamol in Distilled and Drinking Water by Pure and Ag-Modified TiO2 Sol–Gel Powders
by Albena Bachvarova-Nedelcheva, Reni Iordanova and Nina Kaneva
Materials 2024, 17(8), 1791; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17081791 - 13 Apr 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 988
Abstract
In this study, pure TiO2 gels were synthesized by applying the sol–gel method, using Ti(IV) butoxide with the addition of two different solvents, namely ethylene glycol (EG) and isopropanol (isop), with only air moisture present. It was established using XRD that the [...] Read more.
In this study, pure TiO2 gels were synthesized by applying the sol–gel method, using Ti(IV) butoxide with the addition of two different solvents, namely ethylene glycol (EG) and isopropanol (isop), with only air moisture present. It was established using XRD that the gel prepared with the addition of EG was amorphous even at 400 °C, while the other gel was amorphous up to 300 °C. It was found that TiO2 (anatase) had a dominant crystalline phase during heating to 600 °C, while at 700 °C, TiO2 (rutile) appeared. The as-obtained powdered materials were annealed at 500 °C and subsequently underwent photocatalytic tests with paracetamol. Additionally, the TiO2 samples were modified with Ag+ co-catalysts (10−2 M), using photofixation by UV illumination. The photocatalytic activity of the Ag-modified powders was also tested in the photodegradation of a commonly used paracetamol in aqueous solution under UV light illumination. The obtained data exhibited that the annealed samples had better photocatalytic efficiency and decomposed paracetamol faster in comparison to the non-annealed sol–gel powders. The highest degradation efficiency was observed for the TBT/isop/Ag material, with degradation efficiencies average values of 65.59% and 75.61% paracetamol achieved after the third cycle of photocatalytic treatment. The co-catalytically modified powders had higher photocatalytic efficiency in comparison to the pure nanosized powders. Moreover, the sol–gel powders of TBT/EG, TBT/EG/Ag (10−2 M), TBT/isop, and TBT/isop/Ag (10−2 M) demonstrated the ability to retain their photocatalytic activity even after three cycles of use, suggesting that they could find practical use in the treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater. The observed photocatalytic efficiency and positive impact of silver make the prepared powders a desirable choice for pharmaceutical drug degradation, helping to promote environmentally friendly and effective wastewater treatment technology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Materials toward Sustainable Development Technologies: Prospect and Challenges)
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16 pages, 3918 KiB  
Article
The Application of Bilayer Heterogeneous MOFs in pH and Heat-Triggered Systems for Controllable Fragrance Release
by Tianci Huang, Xinjiao Cui, Xiaoyu Zhou, Xiaolong He, Min Guo and Junsheng Li
Materials 2024, 17(6), 1310; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17061310 - 12 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1263
Abstract
To facilitate the integration of a fragrance encapsulation system into different products to achieve effective releases, a dual-responsive release system with pH and thermal trigger control is designed in this work. A series of ZIF-8 (M) and bilayer ZIF-8-on-ZIF-8 (MM) materials are synthesized [...] Read more.
To facilitate the integration of a fragrance encapsulation system into different products to achieve effective releases, a dual-responsive release system with pH and thermal trigger control is designed in this work. A series of ZIF-8 (M) and bilayer ZIF-8-on-ZIF-8 (MM) materials are synthesized by a solvent method at room temperature. The fragrance is encapsulated into the ZIFs by dynamic adsorption or in situ encapsulation combined dynamic adsorption. The fragrance loading contributed by dynamic adsorption was as high as 80%. The fragrance loaded in the double-layer MM host was almost twice that of the monolayer host M due to the stronger electrostatic interaction between MM and vanillin. In the pH and thermal trigger response release experiments, the second MOF layer in the MM host, as a controlled entity, greatly improved the load and kinetic equilibrium time of vanillin, and realized the controlled release of guest molecules. The developed dual-responsive release system in this work exhibits great potential in daily chemical products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Materials toward Sustainable Development Technologies: Prospect and Challenges)
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16 pages, 4474 KiB  
Article
Adsorption Behavior of Organoarsenicals over MnFe2O4-Graphene Hybrid Nanocomposite: The Role of Organoarsenic Chemical Structures
by Binxian Gu, Haijie Zhang, Meng Ye, Ting Zhou, Jianjian Yi and Qingsong Hu
Materials 2023, 16(24), 7636; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16247636 - 14 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1278
Abstract
As a kind of emerging contaminant, organoarsenic compounds have drawn wide concern because of their considerable solubilities in water, and the highly toxic inorganic arsenic species formed during their biotic and abiotic degradation in the natural environment. Thus, the effective removal and studying [...] Read more.
As a kind of emerging contaminant, organoarsenic compounds have drawn wide concern because of their considerable solubilities in water, and the highly toxic inorganic arsenic species formed during their biotic and abiotic degradation in the natural environment. Thus, the effective removal and studying of the adsorption mechanism of organoarsenic compounds are of significant urgency. In this work, MnFe2O4 and MnFe2O4/graphene were prepared through a facile solvothermal method. From the results of the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) characterization, it can be found that MnFe2O4 nanoparticles were uniformly distributed on the surface of the graphene. And the specific surface area of the MnFe2O4/graphene was about 146.39 m2 g−1, much higher than that of the MnFe2O4 (86.15 m2 g−1). The interactions between organoarsenic compounds and adsorbents were conducted to study their adsorption behavior and mechanism. The maximum adsorption capacities of MnFe2O4/graphene towards p-arsanilic acid (p-ASA) and roxarsone (ROX) were calculated to be 22.75 and 30.59 mg g−1. Additionally, the ionic strength, negative ions, and humus were introduced to investigate the adsorption performance of organoarsenic compounds. Electrostatic adsorption and surface complexation are the primary adsorption mechanisms on account of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and the Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis. This research extends the knowledge into studying the interaction between organoarsenic species and hybrid nanomaterials in the natural environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Materials toward Sustainable Development Technologies: Prospect and Challenges)
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14 pages, 3040 KiB  
Article
Highly Efficient Adsorption of Pb(II) by Functionalized Humic Acid: Molecular Experiment and Theoretical Calculation
by Qi Xu, Yan Yan, Yazhou Jiao, Jinxiong Wu, Xiuling Yan and Xintai Su
Materials 2023, 16(23), 7290; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16237290 - 23 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1055
Abstract
Environmental pollution has been widely considered by researchers, especially the heavy metals damage to the human and ecological environment is irreversible. Adsorption is an important method to remove heavy metal ions from the environment. In this paper, humic acid (HA) was functionalized by [...] Read more.
Environmental pollution has been widely considered by researchers, especially the heavy metals damage to the human and ecological environment is irreversible. Adsorption is an important method to remove heavy metal ions from the environment. In this paper, humic acid (HA) was functionalized by the improved Hummers method, and its adsorption capacity for Pb(II) was studied. The results of scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Roman, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) showed that the thickness of irregular particles decreases to a layered structure during the transformation process. In addition, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR) spectra showed that the surface of oxidized-biochar (OBC) was rich in reactive oxygen species, which was conducive to the formation of coordination bonds with Pb(II). Further adsorption experiments showed that it was a spontaneous monolayer chemisorption. The results of the DFT calculation showed that -COOH had the lowest adsorption energy for Pb(II), and it was easier to form stable chemical bonds than -OH, -C=O, and -C-O-C-. Because those oxygen-containing functional groups not only can promote electrostatic attraction but also are more favorable for forming a covalent bond with Pb(II). This study had guiding significance for the deep modification and application of weathered coal as a heavy metal ion adsorbent or cation exchanger. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Materials toward Sustainable Development Technologies: Prospect and Challenges)
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13 pages, 5893 KiB  
Article
Insight into the Mechanism of Cobalt-Nickel Separation Using DFT Calculations on Ethylenediamine-Modified Silica Gel
by Hailun Yang, Ling Yuan, Menglei Yuan and Pengge Ning
Materials 2023, 16(9), 3445; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16093445 - 28 Apr 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1765
Abstract
The separation of Co(II) and Ni(II) from leaching solution is gaining interest because Co(II) and Ni(II) are increasingly used in emerging strategic areas, such as power batteries. Herein, the surface of silica gel is functionalized with 1,2-ethylenediamine and used for the separation of [...] Read more.
The separation of Co(II) and Ni(II) from leaching solution is gaining interest because Co(II) and Ni(II) are increasingly used in emerging strategic areas, such as power batteries. Herein, the surface of silica gel is functionalized with 1,2-ethylenediamine and used for the separation of Co(II) and Ni(II). The Co(II) removal efficiency of the modified silica is 80.2%, with a 4-fold improvement in the separation factor. The geometry, frequency, and electrostatic potential of the ethylenediamine modified silica gel (en/SG) are calculated. The corresponding properties of M2+ (M-Co, Ni) adsorbed on en/SG in an aqueous solution are simulated and analyzed. The results show that ethylenediamine tends to form [Men(H2O)4]2+ after binding to M2+, and the binding ability of Co(II) to ethylenediamine is stronger. Besides, the thermodynamic calculations show that en/SG has a more negative Gibbs free energy when absorbing Co(II) in aqueous solution, so en/SG is more inclined to bind with Co(II) preferentially. It is the difference in complexation ability between Ni, Co, and ethylenediamine that enlarges the difference in the original physical adsorption, thus strengthening the separation performance. This work will provide guidance for a rational design of high-performance nickel-cobalt adsorption materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Materials toward Sustainable Development Technologies: Prospect and Challenges)
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Review

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22 pages, 6314 KiB  
Review
The Advances, Challenges, and Perspectives on Electrocatalytic Reduction of Nitrogenous Substances to Ammonia: A Review
by Liu Yang, Huichun Han, Lan Sun, Jinxiong Wu and Meng Wang
Materials 2023, 16(24), 7647; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16247647 - 14 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1630
Abstract
Ammonia (NH3) is considered to be a critical chemical feedstock in agriculture, industry, and other fields. However, conventional Haber–Bosch (HB) ammonia (NH3) production suffers from high energy consumption, harsh reaction conditions, and large carbon dioxide emissions. Despite the emergence [...] Read more.
Ammonia (NH3) is considered to be a critical chemical feedstock in agriculture, industry, and other fields. However, conventional Haber–Bosch (HB) ammonia (NH3) production suffers from high energy consumption, harsh reaction conditions, and large carbon dioxide emissions. Despite the emergence of electrocatalytic reduction of nitrogenous substances to NH3 under ambient conditions as a new frontier, there are several bottleneck problems that impede the commercialization process. These include low catalytic efficiency, competition with the hydrogen evolution reaction, and difficulties in breaking the N≡N triple bond. In this review, we explore the recent advances in electrocatalytic NH3 synthesis, using nitrogen and nitrate as reactants. We focus on the contribution of the catalyst design, specifically based on molecular–catalyst interaction mechanisms, as well as chemical bond breaking and directional coupling mechanisms, to address the aforementioned problems during electrocatalytic NH3 synthesis. Finally, we discuss the relevant opportunities and challenges in this field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Materials toward Sustainable Development Technologies: Prospect and Challenges)
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20 pages, 6001 KiB  
Review
Application of Metal-Based Catalysts for Semi-Hydrogenation of Alkynol: A Review
by Pengxian Wang, Yue Ma, Yiran Shi, Fangying Duan and Meng Wang
Materials 2023, 16(23), 7409; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16237409 - 28 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1424
Abstract
Alkynol semi-hydrogenation plays a vital role in industrial processes, due to the significance of its main product, enol, in high-end chemical synthesis, such as medicine, pesticide, food additives, and polymer monomer synthesis. Multiple intermediates are formed through a complex series of parallel or [...] Read more.
Alkynol semi-hydrogenation plays a vital role in industrial processes, due to the significance of its main product, enol, in high-end chemical synthesis, such as medicine, pesticide, food additives, and polymer monomer synthesis. Multiple intermediates are formed through a complex series of parallel or continuous reactions under varying conditions. However, the selectivity and efficiency of catalysts for producing these products still pose significant challenges. This review aims to thoroughly discuss the challenges and advancements in catalysts using different species and supports under various reaction conditions. Furthermore, strategies to enhance the yield and rate of enols are summarized based on noble metals, non-noble metals, and metal comparisons. By addressing diverse catalysts and reaction conditions, this review provides valuable insights into improving the semi-hydrogenation of acetylenic alcohols to enols. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Materials toward Sustainable Development Technologies: Prospect and Challenges)
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19 pages, 3551 KiB  
Review
Challenges and Solutions for Low-Temperature Lithium–Sulfur Batteries: A Review
by Yiming Liu, Tian Qin, Pengxian Wang, Menglei Yuan, Qiongguang Li and Shaojie Feng
Materials 2023, 16(12), 4359; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16124359 - 13 Jun 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2801
Abstract
The lithium–sulfur (Li-S) battery is considered to be one of the attractive candidates for breaking the limit of specific energy of lithium-ion batteries and has the potential to conquer the related energy storage market due to its advantages of low-cost, high-energy density, high [...] Read more.
The lithium–sulfur (Li-S) battery is considered to be one of the attractive candidates for breaking the limit of specific energy of lithium-ion batteries and has the potential to conquer the related energy storage market due to its advantages of low-cost, high-energy density, high theoretical specific energy, and environmental friendliness issues. However, the substantial decrease in the performance of Li-S batteries at low temperatures has presented a major barrier to extensive application. To this end, we have introduced the underlying mechanism of Li-S batteries in detail, and further concentrated on the challenges and progress of Li-S batteries working at low temperatures in this review. Additionally, the strategies to improve the low-temperature performance of Li-S batteries have also been summarized from the four perspectives, such as electrolyte, cathode, anode, and diaphragm. This review will provide a critical insight into enhancing the feasibility of Li-S batteries in low-temperature environments and facilitating their commercialization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Materials toward Sustainable Development Technologies: Prospect and Challenges)
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19 pages, 5281 KiB  
Review
Research on Wide-Temperature Rechargeable Sodium-Sulfur Batteries: Features, Challenges and Solutions
by Yimin Liang, Boxuan Zhang, Yiran Shi, Ruyi Jiang and Honghua Zhang
Materials 2023, 16(12), 4263; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16124263 - 8 Jun 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1805
Abstract
Sodium-sulfur (Na-S) batteries hold great promise for cutting-edge fields due to their high specific capacity, high energy density and high efficiency of charge and discharge. However, Na-S batteries operating at different temperatures possess a particular reaction mechanism; scrutinizing the optimized working conditions toward [...] Read more.
Sodium-sulfur (Na-S) batteries hold great promise for cutting-edge fields due to their high specific capacity, high energy density and high efficiency of charge and discharge. However, Na-S batteries operating at different temperatures possess a particular reaction mechanism; scrutinizing the optimized working conditions toward enhanced intrinsic activity is highly desirable while facing daunting challenges. This review will conduct a dialectical comparative analysis of Na-S batteries. Due to its performance, there are challenges in the aspects of expenditure, potential safety hazards, environmental issues, service life and shuttle effect; thus, we seek solutions in the electrolyte system, catalysts, anode and cathode materials at intermediate and low temperatures (T < 300 °C) as well as high temperatures (300 °C < T < 350 °C). Nevertheless, we also analyze the latest research progress of these two situations in connection with the concept of sustainable development. Finally, the development prospects of this field are summarized and discussed to look forward to the future of Na-S batteries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Materials toward Sustainable Development Technologies: Prospect and Challenges)
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