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Advanced Materials for Energy Conversion and Water Sustainability

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 13230

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Panpan Zhang

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Guest Editor

School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300130, China
Interests: photothermal conversion materials; graphene composites; polymer hydrogels; interfacial evaporation; desalination; water purification

Dr. Wenjing Yuan

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Guest Editor

School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300130, China
Interests: two-dimensional materials; polymer composites; gas sensor; flexible strain sensor; stretchable electrodes

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Water is the Earth’s most precious resource for life and is becoming perilously scarce and polluted. It is imperative to advance effective, affordable and sustainable strategies to augment the water supply. This topic involves advanced material innovation via structural assembly and surface modulation associated with carbon materials (carbon nanotubes, graphene, Mxene, carbon fibers, etc.), polymer hydrogels (alginate, polyethylene glycol, polyacrylamide, polypyrrole, etc.), metal nanoparticles (gold, silver, platinum, copper, etc.), inorganic compounds (thiosulfate, titanium dioxide, etc.), metal-organic framework (MOF) and covalent organic framework (COF) materials. Subsequently, an in-depth study of the energy conversion mechanism and performance of these materials in the fields of photothermal, electrothermal, photoelectric, electrochemical, etc., is required to extend their applications in desalination, various sewage purification, sterilization, pollutant degradation, etc. Examples include solar-driven interfacial water purification, capacitive deionization, advanced oxidation, photo/electrocatalytic degradation, membrane distillation, adsorption, and other associated technologies to address the clean water crisis issue.

Dr. Panpan Zhang
Dr. Wenjing Yuan
Guest Editors

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Keywords

advanced material innovation
energy conversion
desalination
wastewater treatment
pollutant degradation
sustainable clean water harvesting

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 175 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Interfacial Solar Vapour Generation: An Emerging Platform for Sustainable Clean Water Harvesting

by Panpan Zhang and Wenjing Yuan

Molecules 2023, 28(15), 5721; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28155721 - 28 Jul 2023

Viewed by 959

Abstract

Water is a precious resource of paramount importance on Earth, playing a critical role in the evolution of life [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Materials for Energy Conversion and Water Sustainability)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

16 pages, 4901 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ag/Mo Doping for Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity of Titanium (IV) Dioxide during Fuel Desulphurization

by Zahraa A. Hamza, Jamal J. Dawood and Murtadha Abbas Jabbar

Molecules 2024, 29(19), 4603; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29194603 - 27 Sep 2024

Viewed by 506

Abstract

Regarding photocatalytic oxidative desulphurization (PODS), titanium oxide (TiO₂) is a promising contender as a catalyst due to its photocatalytic prowess and long-term performance in desulphurization applications. This work demonstrates the effectiveness of double-doping TiO₂ in silver (Ag) and molybdenum (Mo) for use as a novel catalyst in the desulphurization of light-cut hydrocarbons. FESEM, EDS, and AFM were used to characterize the morphology, doping concentration, surface features, grain size, and grain surface area of the Ag/Mo powder. On the other hand, XRD, FTIR spectroscopy, UV-Vis, and PL were used for structure and functional group detection and light absorption analysis based on TiO₂’s illumination properties. The microscopic images revealed nanoparticles with irregular shapes, and a 3D-AFM image was used to determine the catalyst’s physiognomies: 0.612 nm roughness and a surface area of 811.79 m²/g. The average sizes of the grains and particles were calculated to be 32.15 and 344.4 nm, respectively. The XRD analysis revealed an anatase structure for the doped TiO₂, and the FTIR analysis exposed localized functional groups, while the absorption spectra of the catalyst, obtained via UV-Vis, revealed a broad spectrum, including visible and near-infrared regions up to 1053.34 nm. The PL analysis showed luminescence with a lower emission intensity, indicating that the charge carriers were not thoroughly combined. This study’s findings indicate a desulphurization efficiency of 97%. Additionally, the promise of a nano-homogeneous particle distribution bodes well for catalytic reactions. The catalyst retains its efficiency when it is dried and reused, demonstrating its sustainable use while maintaining the desulphurization efficacy. This study highlights the potential of the double doping approach in enhancing the catalytic properties of TiO₂, opening up new possibilities for improving the performance of photo-oxidative processes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Materials for Energy Conversion and Water Sustainability)

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13 pages, 2833 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Direct Regeneration of Degraded LiFePO₄ Cathode via Reductive Solution Relithiation Regeneration Process

by Chenchen Li, Rui Gong, Yingjie Zhang, Qi Meng and Peng Dong

Molecules 2024, 29(14), 3340; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29143340 - 16 Jul 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1076

Abstract

The rapid growth of electronic devices, electric vehicles, and mobile energy storage has produced large quantities of spent batteries, leading to significant environmental issues and a shortage of lithium resources. Recycling spent batteries has become urgent to protect the environment. The key to treating spent lithium-ion batteries is to implement green and efficient regeneration. This study proposes a recycling method for the direct regeneration of spent lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries using hydrothermal reduction. Ascorbic acid (AA) was used as a low-cost and environmentally friendly reductant to reduce Fe³⁺ in spent LiFePO₄. We also investigated the role of AA in the hydrothermal process and its effects on the electrochemical properties of the regenerated LiFePO₄ cathode material (AA-SR-LFP). The results showed that the hydrothermal reduction direct regeneration method successfully produced AA-SR-LFP with good crystallinity and electrochemical properties. AA-SR-LFP exhibited excellent electrochemical properties, with an initial discharge specific capacity of 144.4 mAh g⁻¹ at 1 C and a capacity retention rate of 98.6% after 100 cycles. In summary, the hydrothermal reduction direct regeneration method effectively repairs the defects in the chemical composition and crystal structure of spent LiFePO₄. It can be regarded as a green and effective regeneration approach for spent LiFePO₄ cathode materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Materials for Energy Conversion and Water Sustainability)

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12 pages, 5129 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Core–Shell CoS₂@MoS₂ with Hollow Heterostructure as an Efficient Electrocatalyst for Boosting Oxygen Evolution Reaction

by Donglei Guo, Jiaqi Xu, Guilong Liu and Xu Yu

Molecules 2024, 29(8), 1695; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29081695 - 9 Apr 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1193

Abstract

It is imperative to develop an efficient catalyst to reduce the energy barrier of electrochemical water decomposition. In this study, a well-designed electrocatalyst featuring a core–shell structure was synthesized with cobalt sulfides as the core and molybdenum disulfide nanosheets as the shell. The core–shell structure can prevent the agglomeration of MoS₂, expose more active sites, and facilitate electrolyte ion diffusion. A CoS₂/MoS₂ heterostructure is formed between CoS₂ and MoS₂ through the chemical interaction, and the surface chemistry is adjusted. Due to the morphological merits and the formation of the CoS₂/MoS₂ heterostructure, CoS₂@MoS₂ exhibits excellent electrocatalytic performance during the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) process in an alkaline electrolyte. To reach the current density of 10 mA cm⁻², only 254 mV of overpotential is required for CoS₂@MoS₂, which is smaller than that of pristine CoS₂ and MoS₂. Meanwhile, the small Tafel slope (86.9 mV dec⁻¹) and low charge transfer resistance (47 Ω) imply the fast dynamic mechanism of CoS₂@MoS₂. As further confirmed by cyclic voltammetry curves for 1000 cycles and the CA test for 10 h, CoS₂@MoS₂ shows exceptional catalytic stability. This work gives a guideline for constructing the core–shell heterostructure as an efficient catalyst for oxygen evolution reaction. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Materials for Energy Conversion and Water Sustainability)

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14 pages, 5518 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on the Catalytic Oxidation of Toluene Using CeO₂@S-AZMB Prepared from Spent Zn-Mn Batteries

by Yu Zou, Huan Du, Zhong Zhao and Zhuozhi Wang

Molecules 2024, 29(3), 616; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29030616 - 27 Jan 2024

Viewed by 974

Abstract

The recycling and utilization of waste alkaline zinc manganese batteries (S-AZMB) has always been a focus of attention in the fields of environment and energy. However, current research mostly focuses on the recycling of purified materials, while neglecting the direct reuse of waste batteries. Here, we propose a new concept of preparing thermal catalysts by combining unpurified S-AZMB with CeO₂ by means of ball milling. A series of characterizations and experiments have confirmed that the combination with S-AZMB not only enhances the thermal catalytic activity of CeO₂ but also significantly enhances the concentration of surface oxygen vacancies. In the toluene removal experiment, the temperature (T90) at 90% toluene conversions of CeO₂@S-AZMB was 180 °C, lower than the 220 °C for CeO₂. More noteworthy is that this S-AZMB-based thermal catalyst can maintain a good structure and thermal catalytic stability in cyclic catalysis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Materials for Energy Conversion and Water Sustainability)

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12 pages, 4053 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Construction of Surface-Frustrated Lewis Pair Sites to Improve the Nitrogen Reduction Catalytic Activity of In₂O₃

by Mingqian Wang, Ming Zheng, Yuchen Sima, Chade Lv and Xin Zhou

Molecules 2023, 28(20), 7130; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28207130 - 17 Oct 2023

Viewed by 1307

Abstract

The construction of a surface-frustrated Lewis pairs (SFLPs) structure is expected to break the single electronic state restriction of catalytic centers of P-region element materials, due to the existence of acid-base and basic active canters without mutual quenching in the SFLPs system. Herein, we have constructed eight possible SFLPS structures on the In₂O₃ (110) surface by doping non-metallic elements and investigated their performance as electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction catalysts using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The results show that P atom doping (P@In₂O₃) can effectively construct the structure of SFLPs, and the doped P atom and In atom near the vacancy act as Lewis base and acid, respectively. The P@In₂O₃ catalyst can effectively activate N₂ molecules through the enzymatic mechanism with a limiting potential of −0.28 eV and can effectively suppress the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Electronic structure analysis also confirmed that the SFLPs site can efficiently capture N₂ molecules and activate N≡N bonds through a unique “donation-acceptance” mechanism. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Materials for Energy Conversion and Water Sustainability)

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15 pages, 5001 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Magnetic Biochar Derived from Fenton Sludge/CMC for High-Efficiency Removal of Pb(II): Synthesis, Application, and Mechanism

by Zongwu Wang, Juan Guo, Junwei Jia, Wei Liu, Xinding Yao, Jinglan Feng, Shuying Dong and Jianhui Sun

Molecules 2023, 28(13), 4983; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28134983 - 25 Jun 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1174

Abstract

Magnetic biochar composites (MBC) were developed by a simple one-step pyrolysis method using Fenton sludge waste solid and carboxymethyl cellulose sodium. Detailed morphological, chemical, and magnetic characterizations corroborate the successful fabrication of MBC. Batch adsorption experiments show that the synthesized MBC owns high-efficiency removal of Pb(II), accompanied by ease-of-separation from aqueous solution using magnetic field. The experiment shows that the equilibrium adsorption capacity of MBC for Pb(II) can reach 199.9 mg g⁻¹, corresponding to a removal rate of 99.9%, and the maximum adsorption capacity (q_m) reaches 570.7 mg g⁻¹, which is significantly better than that of the recently reported magnetic similar materials. The adsorption of Pb(II) by MBC complies with the pseudo second-order equation and Langmuir isotherm model, and the adsorption is a spontaneous, endothermic chemical process. Investigations on the adsorption mechanism show that the combination of Pb(II) with the oxygen-containing functional groups (carboxyl, hydroxyl, etc.) on biochar with a higher specific surface area are the decisive factors. The merits of reusing solid waste resource, namely excellent selectivity, easy separation, and simple preparation make the MBC a promising candidate of Pb(II) purifier. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Materials for Energy Conversion and Water Sustainability)

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14 pages, 6087 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Bifunctional BiOBr/ZIF-8/ZnO Photocatalyst with Rich Oxygen Vacancy for Enhanced Wastewater Treatment and H₂O₂ Generation

by Xiao Han, Tianduo Zhang, Yang Cui, Zhaoyang Wang, Ruoyu Dong, Yuhan Wu, Cuiwei Du, Ruyan Chen, Chongfei Yu, Jinglan Feng, Jianhui Sun and Shuying Dong

Molecules 2023, 28(6), 2422; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28062422 - 7 Mar 2023

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2353

Abstract

Photocatalytic technology is considered an ideal approach for clean energy conversion and environmental pollution applications. In this work, a bifunctional BiOBr/ZIF-8/ZnO photocatalyst was proposed for removing phenols in wastewater and generating hydrogen peroxide. Insights from scanning electron microscopy measurements revealed the well-dispersion of ZIF-8/ZnO was on the BiOBr layer, which could effectively prevent agglomeration of ZIF-8 and facilitate the separation of carriers. In addition, the optimal H₂O₂ yield of the BiOBr/ZIF-8/ZnO sample could reach 116 mmol·L⁻¹·g⁻¹ within 2 h, much higher than that of pure BiOBr (with the value of 82 mmol·L⁻¹·g⁻¹). The optimal BiOBr/ZIF-8/ZnO sample could also remove 90% of the phenol or bisphenol A in 2 h, and its kinetic constants were 3.8 times and 2.3 times that of pure BiOBr, respectively. Based on the analysis of the various experimental characterizations, the photocatalytic mechanism of the S-scheme BiOBr/ZIF-8/ZnO composite for the degradation of phenolic pollutants and generation of H₂O₂ was proposed. The formation of the heterojunction and the oxygen vacancy work together to significantly improve its photocatalytic efficiency. In addition, the BiOBr/ZIF-8/ZnO catalyst has a certain impact on the degradation of phenol in actual wastewater, providing a way to effectively remove refractory pollutants and generate H₂O₂ in actual water. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Materials for Energy Conversion and Water Sustainability)

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Review

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16 pages, 7496 KiB

Open AccessReview

Encapsulating Transition Metal Nanoparticles inside Carbon (TM@C) Chainmail Catalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reactions: A Review

by Jiamin Zhao, Meimei Kou, Qing Yuan, Ying Yuan and Jinsheng Zhao

Molecules 2024, 29(19), 4677; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29194677 - 2 Oct 2024

Viewed by 725

Abstract

Green hydrogen energy from electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reactions (HERs) has gained much attention for its advantages of low carbon, high efficiency, interconnected energy medium, safety, and controllability. Non-precious metals have emerged as a research hotspot for replacing precious metal catalysts due to low cost and abundant reserves. However, maintaining the stability of non-precious metals under harsh conditions (e.g., strongly acidic, alkaline environments) remains a significant challenge. By leveraging the curling properties of two-dimensional materials, a new class of catalysts, encapsulating transition metal nanoparticles inside carbon (TM@C) chainmail, has been successfully developed. This catalyst can effectively isolate the active metal from direct contact with harsh reaction media, thereby delaying catalyst deactivation. Furthermore, the electronic structure of the carbon layer can be regulated through the transfer of electrons, which stimulates its catalytic activity. This addresses the issue of the insufficient stability of traditional non-precious metal catalysts. This review commences with a synopsis of the synthetic advancement of the engineering of TM@C chainmail catalysts. Thereafter, a critical discussion ensues regarding the electrocatalytic performance of TM@C chainmail catalysts during hydrogen production. Ultimately, a comprehensive review of the conformational relationship between the structure of TM@C chainmail catalysts and HER activity is provided, offering substantial support for the large-scale application of hydrogen energy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Materials for Energy Conversion and Water Sustainability)

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15 pages, 2935 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Review of Synthesis and Applications of Al₂O₃ for Organic Dye Degradation/Adsorption

by Sundarakannan Rajendran, Geetha Palani, Vigneshwaran Shanmugam, Herri Trilaksanna, Karthik Kannan, Marek Nykiel, Kinga Korniejenko and Uthayakumar Marimuthu

Molecules 2023, 28(23), 7922; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28237922 - 4 Dec 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2209

Abstract

This comprehensive review investigates the potential of aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) as a highly effective adsorbent for organic dye degradation. Al₂O₃ emerges as a promising solution to address environmental challenges associated with dye discharge due to its solid ceramic composition, robust mechanical properties, expansive surface area, and exceptional resistance to environmental degradation. The paper meticulously examines recent advancements in Al₂O₃-based materials, emphasizing their efficacy in both organic dye degradation and adsorption. Offering a nuanced understanding of Al₂O₃’s pivotal role in environmental remediation, this review provides a valuable synthesis of the latest research developments in the field of dye degradation. It serves as an insightful resource, emphasizing the significant potential of aluminum oxide in mitigating the pressing environmental concerns linked to organic dye discharge. The application of Al₂O₃-based catalysts in the photocatalytic treatment of multi-component organic dyes necessitates further exploration, particularly in addressing real-world wastewater complexities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Materials for Energy Conversion and Water Sustainability)

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