Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
8.1
4.9
Journals
IJMS
Special Issues
Metal Sulfide-Based Photocatalysts for Environmental Remediation and Green Energy Production
ijms-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for IJMS Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Metal Sulfide-Based Photocatalysts for Environmental Remediation and Green Energy Production

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Physical Chemistry and Chemical Physics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 August 2024 | Viewed by 8935

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Luminiţa Isac

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Product Design, Mechatronics, and Environmental Department, Transilvania University of Brasov, 500036 Brasov, Romania
Interests: heterogenous photocatalysis; semiconductor materials; metal sulfides; copper sulfides; wastewater treatment; air purification; solar energy conversion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The growth in the global population has resulted in the constant increase in environmental pollution and the need for sustainable and cheap energy sources. Therefore, the design and development of advanced materials that can be integrated into efficient technologies for environmental remediation and green energy production are significant topics of research worldwide. There are a wide range of materials with photocatalytic applications, such as semiconductors, semiconductor-based heterojunctions (micro/nano composite structures, binary or ternary hybrid structures, etc.), perovskites, and metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). Among these materials, due to their unique properties, such as suitable band gap energy for the absorption of light in the Vis and/or UV regions, chemical and photochemical stability, particle size, surface area morphology, etc., metal sulfide semiconductor nanostructures are considered attractive candidates for water/air treatment and purification, hydrogen production via photoelectrolytic water splitting, CO2 reduction, the photodynamic therapy of cancer, and self-cleaning surfaces.

It is our pleasure to invite you to submit original research articles and reviews to the Special Issue “Metal Sulfide-based Photocatalysts for Environment Remediation and Green Energy Production”, focusing on, but not limited to, the abovementioned issues.

Prof. Dr. Luminiţa Isac
Guest Editor

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. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. 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

  • metal sulfides
  • photocatalytic materials
  • photocatalysis technology
  • wastewater treatment
  • water disinfection
  • air purification
  • hydrogen production
  • self-cleaning surfaces

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 (4 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

14 pages, 7063 KiB  
Article
Gas Sensing and Half-Metallic Materials Design Using Metal Embedded into S Vacancies in WS2 Monolayers: Adsorption of NO, CO, and O2 Molecules
by Eduardo Rangel-Cortes, José Pablo Garcia-Islas, Josue Gutierrez-Rodriguez, Saul Montes de Oca, José Andres Garcia-Gonzalez, José Manuel Nieto-Jalil and Alan Miralrio
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(20), 15079; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242015079 - 11 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1286
Abstract
The adsorption of CO, NO, and O2 molecules onto Cu, Ag, and Au atoms placed in the S vacancies of a WS2 monolayer was elucidated within dispersion-corrected density functional theory. The binding energies computed for embedded defects into S vacancies were [...] Read more.
The adsorption of CO, NO, and O2 molecules onto Cu, Ag, and Au atoms placed in the S vacancies of a WS2 monolayer was elucidated within dispersion-corrected density functional theory. The binding energies computed for embedded defects into S vacancies were 2.99 (AuS), 2.44 (AgS), 3.32 eV (CuS), 3.23 (Au2S2), 2.55 (Ag2S2), and 3.48 eV/atom (Cu2S2), respectively. The calculated diffusion energy barriers from an S vacancy to a nearby site for Cu, Ag, and Au were 2.29, 2.18, and 2.16 eV, respectively. Thus, the substitutional atoms remained firmly fixed at temperatures above 700 K. Similarly, the adsorption energies showed that nitric oxide and carbon oxide molecules exhibited stronger chemisorption than O2 molecules on any of the metal atoms (Au, Cu, or Ag) placed in the S vacancies of the WS2 monolayer. Therefore, the adsorption of O2 did not compete with NO or CO adsorption and did not displace them. The density of states showed that a WS2 monolayer modified with a Cu, Au, or Ag atom could be used to design sensing devices, based on electronic or magnetic properties, for atmospheric pollutants. More interestingly, the adsorption of CO changed only the electronic properties of the MoS2-AuS monolayer, which could be used for sensing applications. In contrast, the O2 molecule was chemisorbed more strongly than CO or NO on Au2S2, Cu2S2, or Ag2S2 placed into di-S vacancies. Thus, if the experimental system is exposed to air, the low quantities of O2 molecules present should result in the oxidation of the metallic atoms. Furthermore, the O2 molecules adsorbed on WS2-Au2S2 and WS2-CuS introduced a half-metallic behavior, making the system suitable for applications in spintronics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metal Sulfide-Based Photocatalysts for Environmental Remediation and Green Energy Production)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 3769 KiB  
Article
Photocatalytic H2 Production by Visible Light on Cd0.5Zn0.5S Photocatalysts Modified with Ni(OH)2 by Impregnation Method
by Bence Páll, Maali-Amel Mersel, Péter Pekker, Éva Makó, Veronika Vágvölgyi, Miklós Németh, József Sándor Pap, Lajos Fodor and Ottó Horváth
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(12), 9802; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24129802 - 6 Jun 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1828
Abstract
Nowadays, the study of environmentally friendly ways of producing hydrogen as a green energy source is an increasingly important challenge. One of these potential processes is the heterogeneous photocatalytic splitting of water or other hydrogen sources such as H2S or its [...] Read more.
Nowadays, the study of environmentally friendly ways of producing hydrogen as a green energy source is an increasingly important challenge. One of these potential processes is the heterogeneous photocatalytic splitting of water or other hydrogen sources such as H2S or its alkaline solution. The most common catalysts used for H2 production from Na2S solution are the CdS-ZnS type catalysts, whose efficiency can be further enhanced by Ni-modification. In this work, the surface of Cd0.5Zn0.5S composite was modified with Ni(II) compound for photocatalytic H2 generation. Besides two conventional methods, impregnation was also applied, which is a simple but unconventional modification technique for the CdS-type catalysts. Among the catalysts modified with 1% Ni(II), the impregnation method resulted in the highest activity, for which a quantum efficiency of 15.8% was achieved by using a 415 nm LED and Na2S-Na2SO3 sacrificial solution. This corresponded to an outstanding rate of 170 mmol H2/h/g under the given experimental conditions. The catalysts were characterized by DRS, XRD, TEM, STEM-EDS, and XPS analyses, which confirmed that Ni(II) is mainly present as Ni(OH)2 on the surface of the CdS-ZnS composite. The observations from the illumination experiments indicated that Ni(OH)2 was oxidized during the reaction, and that it therefore played a hole-trapping role. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metal Sulfide-Based Photocatalysts for Environmental Remediation and Green Energy Production)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

16 pages, 5464 KiB  
Article
Synthesis of Cellulose–Poly(Acrylic Acid) Using Sugarcane Bagasse Extracted Cellulose Fibres for the Removal of Heavy Metal Ions
by Fuchao Li, Zhemin Xie, Jianfeng Wen, Tao Tang, Li Jiang, Guanghui Hu and Ming Li
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(10), 8922; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24108922 - 18 May 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2101
Abstract
In this study, sugarcane bagasse (SCB) was treated with sodium hydroxide and bleached to separate the non-cellulose components to obtain cellulose (CE) fibres. Cross-linked cellulose–poly(sodium acrylic acid) hydrogel (CE–PAANa) was successfully synthesised via simple free-radical graft-polymerisation to remove heavy metal ions. The structure [...] Read more.
In this study, sugarcane bagasse (SCB) was treated with sodium hydroxide and bleached to separate the non-cellulose components to obtain cellulose (CE) fibres. Cross-linked cellulose–poly(sodium acrylic acid) hydrogel (CE–PAANa) was successfully synthesised via simple free-radical graft-polymerisation to remove heavy metal ions. The structure and morphology of the hydrogel display an open interconnected porous structure on the surface of the hydrogel. Various factors influencing batch adsorption capacity, including pH, contact time, and solution concentration, were investigated. The results showed that the adsorption kinetics were in good agreement with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and that the adsorption isotherms followed the Langmuir model. The maximum adsorption capacities calculated by the Langmuir model are 106.3, 333.3, and 163.9 mg/g for Cu(II), Pb(II), and Cd(II), respectively. Furthermore, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) results demonstrated that cationic exchange and electrostatic interaction were the main heavy metal ions adsorption mechanisms. These results demonstrate that CE–PAANa graft copolymer sorbents from cellulose-rich SCB can potentially be used for the removal of heavy metal ions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metal Sulfide-Based Photocatalysts for Environmental Remediation and Green Energy Production)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

24 pages, 4443 KiB  
Review
Recent Developments in ZnS-Based Nanostructures Photocatalysts for Wastewater Treatment
by Luminita Isac and Alexandru Enesca
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(24), 15668; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232415668 - 10 Dec 2022
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 2804
Abstract
The continuous growth of the world population has led to the constant increase of environmental pollution, with serious consequences for human health. Toxic, non-biodegradable, and recalcitrant organic pollutants (e.g., dyes, pharmaceuticals, pesticides) are discharged into water resources from various industries, such as textiles, [...] Read more.
The continuous growth of the world population has led to the constant increase of environmental pollution, with serious consequences for human health. Toxic, non-biodegradable, and recalcitrant organic pollutants (e.g., dyes, pharmaceuticals, pesticides) are discharged into water resources from various industries, such as textiles, leather, pharmaceuticals, plastics, etc. Consequently, the treatment of industrial wastewater, via a sustainable technology, represents a great challenge for worldwide research. Photocatalytic technology, an innovative technique based on advanced oxidation process (AOP), is considered a green technology with promising prospects in the remediation of global environmental issues. In photocatalysis, a very important role is attributed to the photocatalyst, usually a semiconductor material with high solar light absorption capacity and conductivity for photogenerated-charge carriers. Zinc sulfide (ZnS), as n-type semiconductor with different morphologies and band gap energies (Eg = 3.2–3.71 eV), is recognized as a promising photocatalyst for the removal of organic pollutants from wastewater, especially under UV light irradiation. This review deals with the recent developments (the last five years) in ZnS nanostructures (0D, 1D, 3D) and ZnS-based heterojunctions (n-n, n-p, Z scheme) used as photocatalysts for organic pollutants’ degradation under simulated (UV, Vis) and sunlight irradiation in wastewater treatment. The effects of different synthesis parameters (precursors’ type and concentration, capping agents’ dosages, reaction time and temperature, metal doping, ZnS concentration in heterostructures, etc.) and properties (particle size, morphology, band gap energy, and surface properties) on the photocatalytic performance of ZnS-based photocatalysts for various organic pollutants’ degradation are extensively discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metal Sulfide-Based Photocatalysts for Environmental Remediation and Green Energy Production)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop