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Photocatalytic Materials for Environmental Technologies and Water Purification
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Photocatalytic Materials for Environmental Technologies and Water Purification

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2024 | Viewed by 4632

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Hrvoje Kušić

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of Zagreb, Marulicev trg 19, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: advanced water treatments, particularly advanced oxidation/reduction technologies; nanotechnology, particularly design and development of solar-active materials for water treatment and energy conversion; process simulation and optimization including mechanistic/phenomenological modeling; fate and behavior of contaminants of emerging concern using QSA/PR modeling; waste management, particularly thermal treatment technologies; microplastics, particularly fate, behavior and removal methods
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Andraž Šuligoj

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Večna pot 113, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Interests: synthesis of visible light photoactive materials for environmental remediation, particularly air and water purification; thin films, sol-gel chemistry, co-precipitation and microwave synthesis; advanced characterization of nano-sized metal oxide-based catalysts; advanced oxidation processes, particularly photocatalysis, and fenton-like process
Dr. Marin Kovačić

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of Zagreb, Marulićev trg 19, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: advanced oxidation processes for wastewater treatment; photocatalytic water splitting and reduction of carbon dioxide; preparation and characterization of solar-active photocatalysts; in silico investigation of the interactions of micropollutants in aqueous media
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Access to energy and clean water are now among the top priorities for sustaining economic growth and societal well-being. In light of the increased energy demands and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy resources are favored, if not prioritized. The rising competition for water resources necessitates water reuse, which, without the necessary precautions, may pose potential health risks to humans and the environment, especially due to the widespread presence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), such as personal care products, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, perfluorinated compounds (PFAS), etc. As a result, advanced technologies based on nanoscale catalyst materials for solar-driven photocatalytic water purification and energy generation, such as water splitting to yield H2, and CO2 reduction to obtain CO and/or light hydrocarbons, are in high demand.

The aim of this Special Issue is to serve as a collection of original research articles or reviews of the recent progress and advances in photocatalytic materials in the remediation of wastewater and environments contaminated with organic base pollutants, and novel photocatalytic materials for the production of green hydrogen and organic feedstocks. This includes, but is not limited to, the use of novel photocatalysts in the oxidation/reduction of CECs, as well as the development of novel supported photocatalysts for the elimination of CECs. Finally, new photocatalytic applications, such as sustainable and renewable energy production, are highly welcome.

I invite you to submit a high-quality contribution to this Special Issue of Molecules entitled “Photocatalytic Materials for Environmental Technologies and Water Purification” and to present the latest developments in the field. Review and original research articles, as well as experimental and theoretical inquiries, are most welcome.

Prof. Dr. Hrvoje Kušić
Dr. Andraž Šuligoj
Dr. Marin Kovačić
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. Molecules 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 2700 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

  • photocatalytic materials
  • solar photocatalyisis
  • wastewater treatment
  • water purification
  • contaminants of emerging concern
  • water splitting
  • H2 evolution
  • CO2 reforming

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 13856 KiB  
Article
Clay Minerals/TiO2 Composites—Characterization and Application in Photocatalytic Degradation of Water Pollutants
by Bogna D. Napruszewska, Dorota Duraczyńska, Joanna Kryściak-Czerwenka, Paweł Nowak and Ewa M. Serwicka
Molecules 2024, 29(20), 4852; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29204852 - 13 Oct 2024
Viewed by 640
Abstract
TiO2 used for photocatalytic water purification is most active in the form of nanoparticles (NP), but their use is fraught with difficulties in separation from solution or/and a tendency to agglomerate. The novel materials designed in this work circumvent these problems by [...] Read more.
TiO2 used for photocatalytic water purification is most active in the form of nanoparticles (NP), but their use is fraught with difficulties in separation from solution or/and a tendency to agglomerate. The novel materials designed in this work circumvent these problems by immobilizing TiO2 NPs on the surface of exfoliated clay minerals. A series of TiO2/clay mineral composites were obtained using five different clay components: the Na-, CTA-, or H-form of montmorillonite (Mt) and Na- or CTA-form of laponite (Lap). The TiO2 component was prepared using the inverse microemulsion method. The composites were characterized with X-ray diffraction, scanning/transmission electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, thermal analysis, and N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms. It was shown that upon composite synthesis, the Mt interlayer became filled by a mixture of CTA+ and hydronium ions, regardless of the nature of the parent clay, while the structure of Lap underwent partial destruction. The composites displayed high specific surface area and uniform mesoporosity determined by the size of the TiO2 nanoparticles. The best textural parameters were shown by composites containing clay components whose structure was partially destroyed; for instance, Ti/CTA-Lap had a specific surface area of 420 m2g−1 and a pore volume of 0.653 cm3g−1. The materials were tested in the photodegradation of methyl orange and humic acid upon UV irradiation. The photocatalytic activity could be correlated with the development of textural properties. In both reactions, the performance of the most photoactive composites surpassed that of the reference commercial P25 titania. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photocatalytic Materials for Environmental Technologies and Water Purification)
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21 pages, 6798 KiB  
Article
Synergistic Remediation of Organic Dye by Titanium Dioxide/Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite
by Martina Kocijan, Lidija Ćurković, Damjan Vengust, Tina Radošević, Vasyl Shvalya, Gil Gonçalves and Matejka Podlogar
Molecules 2023, 28(21), 7326; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28217326 - 29 Oct 2023
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 1830
Abstract
In this work, nanocomposites based on titanium dioxide and reduced graphene oxide (TiO2@rGO) with different weight percentages of rGO (4, 8, and 16 wt%) were prepared by the hydrothermal/solvothermal synthesis method and thermally treated at 300 °C. The prepared nanocomposites were [...] Read more.
In this work, nanocomposites based on titanium dioxide and reduced graphene oxide (TiO2@rGO) with different weight percentages of rGO (4, 8, and 16 wt%) were prepared by the hydrothermal/solvothermal synthesis method and thermally treated at 300 °C. The prepared nanocomposites were explored for the removal of methylene blue dye (MB) in the presence of simulated solar illumination as well as natural sunlight. The structural, morphological, chemical, and optical properties of the as-synthesized TiO2@rGO nanocomposites were characterized. The obtained results of the graphene-based nanocomposite materials indicated the existence of interactions between TiO2 and rGO, i.e., the Ti–O–C bond, which confirmed the successful integration of both components to form the TiO2@rGO nanocomposites. The addition of rGO increased the specific surface area, decreased the band gap energy, and increased the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of MB from water compared to TiO2 nanoparticles. The results of photocatalytic activity indicated that the amount of rGO in the prepared TiO2@rGO nanocomposites played a significant role in the application of different photocatalytic parameters, including the initial dye concentration, catalyst concentration, water environment, and illumination source. Our studies show that the reinforcement of the nanocomposite with 8 wt% of rGO allowed us to obtain the maximum photocatalytic decomposition performance of MB (10 mg·L−1) with a removal percentage of 99.20 after 2 h. Additionally, the obtained results show that the prepared TiO2@rGO_8 wt% nanocomposite can be used in three consecutive cycles while maintaining photocatalytic activity over 90%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photocatalytic Materials for Environmental Technologies and Water Purification)
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Review

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39 pages, 26999 KiB  
Review
Porphyrin-Based Nanomaterials for the Photocatalytic Remediation of Wastewater: Recent Advances and Perspectives
by Nirmal Kumar Shee and Hee-Joon Kim
Molecules 2024, 29(3), 611; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29030611 - 26 Jan 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1679
Abstract
Self-organized, well-defined porphyrin-based nanostructures with controllable sizes and morphologies are in high demand for the photodegradation of hazardous contaminants under sunlight. From this perspective, this review summarizes the development progress in the fabrication of porphyrin-based nanostructures by changing their synthetic strategies and designs. [...] Read more.
Self-organized, well-defined porphyrin-based nanostructures with controllable sizes and morphologies are in high demand for the photodegradation of hazardous contaminants under sunlight. From this perspective, this review summarizes the development progress in the fabrication of porphyrin-based nanostructures by changing their synthetic strategies and designs. Porphyrin-based nanostructures can be fabricated using several methods, including ionic self-assembly, metal–ligand coordination, reprecipitation, and surfactant-assisted methods. The synthetic utility of porphyrins permits the organization of porphyrin building blocks into nanostructures, which can remarkably improve their light-harvesting properties and photostability. The tunable functionalization and distinctive structures of porphyrin nanomaterials trigger the junction of the charge-transfer mechanism and facilitate the photodegradation of pollutant dyes. Finally, porphyrin nanomaterials or porphyrin/metal nanohybrids are explored to amplify their photocatalytic efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Photocatalytic Materials for Environmental Technologies and Water Purification)
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