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Advanced Functional Nanomaterials: Design, Synthesis and Applications

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 24102

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Prof. Dr. Xin Min

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School of Materials Science and Technology, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing, China
Interests: nanomaterials; photocatalyst; lithium-ion batteries; hydrogen evolution reaction; phosphors; phase change materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Due to the nanometer size effect and quantum effect, nanoscale functional materials have been explored extensively in all aspects of materials science with excellent mechanical properties, electrical properties, magnetic properties, optical properties, sensitivity, catalysis, and photoactivity. The potential application includes various fields, such as fine ceramics, microelectronics, biological engineering, chemical, medical, energy storage, photovoltaic, and so on. Based on the reported studies, the current research efforts consist of exploring new materials, developing novel synthesis strategies, reducing the size of materials to a one or two dimensional (especially single atom materials), designing materials with special nanostructures and composite nanostructure, and optimizing the performances for practical application.

This Special Issue plans to showcase a collection of high-quality research articles focused on new developments in the design, synthesis, and applications of advanced functional nanomaterials for the study of material sciences, including nanotechnology, chemistry, physics, biology, and so on. Researchers are welcome to contribute to all areas of nanomaterials including, but not limited to:

Synthesis of nanomaterials through novel methods;
Design and synthesis of molecular precursors for nanomaterials;
Colloidal synthesis of 0D nanoparticles (metal, oxides, sulfides, semiconductors, and so on);
2D materials, 1D nanofibers, and special nanostructured materials;
Nanostructured materials or composites for photocatalyst and electrocatalyst;
Fabrication of nanomaterials-based devices (solar cells, LEDs, batteries, supercapacitors, gas and light sensors, transistors, etc.);
In situ technology to investigate the reaction mechanism of nanomaterials in potential applications.

Prof. Dr. Xin Min
Guest Editor

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Keywords

nanomaterials
nanoparticles
nanocomposites
nanocrystals
nanostructures

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 3304 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Reduced Graphene Oxide-Zinc Sulfide Nanocomposite Decorated with Silver Nanoparticles for Wastewater Treatment by Adsorption, Photocatalysis and Antimicrobial Action

by Hina Naeem, Hafiz Muhammad Tofil, Mohamed Soliman, Abdul Hai, Syeda Huma H. Zaidi, Nadeem Kizilbash, Daliyah Alruwaili, Muhammad Ajmal and Muhammad Siddiq

Molecules 2023, 28(3), 926; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28030926 - 17 Jan 2023

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2760

Abstract

Reduced graphene oxide nanosheets decorated with ZnS and ZnS-Ag nanoparticles are successfully prepared via a facile one-step chemical approach consisting of reducing the metal precursors on a rGO surface. Prepared rGO-ZnS nanocomposite is employed as an adsorbent material against two model dyes: malachite green (MG) and ethyl violet (EV). The adsorptive behavior of the nanocomposite was tuned by monitoring some parameters, such as the time of contact between the dye and the adsorbent, and the adsorbent dose. Experimental data were also simulated with kinetic models to evaluate the adsorption behavior, and the results confirmed that the adsorption of both dyes followed a pseudo 2nd order kinetic mode. Moreover, the adsorbent was also regenerated in a suitable media for both dyes (HCl for MG and ethanol for EV), without any significant loss in removal efficiency. Ag doped rGO-ZnS nanocomposite was also utilized as a photocatalyst for the degradation of the selected organic contaminant, resorcinol. The complete degradation of the phenolic compound was achieved after 60 min with 200 mg of rGO-ZnS-Ag nanocomposite under natural sunlight irradiation. The photocatalytic activity was studied considering some parameters, such as the initial phenol concentration, the photocatalyst loading, and the pH of the solution. The degradation kinetics of resorcinol was carefully studied and found to follow a linear Langmuir–Hinshelwood model. An additional advantage of rGO-ZnS and rGO-ZnS-Ag nanocomposites was antibacterial activity against Gram-negative bacterium, E. coli, and the results confirmed the significant performance of the nanocomposites in destroying harmful pathogens. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Nanomaterials: Design, Synthesis and Applications)

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13 pages, 2024 KiB

Open AccessArticle

In Vitro Influence of ZnO, CrZnO, RuZnO, and BaZnO Nanomaterials on Bacterial Growth

by Emad M. Abdallah, Abueliz Modwi, Samiah H. Al-Mijalli, Afrah E. Mohammed, Hajo Idriss, Abdulkader Shaikh Omar, Mohamed Afifi, Ammar AL-Farga, Khang Wen Goh and Long Chiau Ming

Molecules 2022, 27(23), 8309; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27238309 - 28 Nov 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1577

Abstract

In this work, ZnO, CrZnO, RuZnO, and BaZnO nanomaterials were synthesized and characterized in order to study their antibacterial activity. The agar well diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) assays were used to determine the antibacterial activity of the fabricated nanomaterials against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213, Escherichia coli ATCC35218, Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 7000603, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 278533. The well-diffusion test revealed significant antibacterial activity against all investigated bacteria when compared to vancomycin at a concentration of 1 mg/mL. The most susceptible bacteria to BaZnO, RuZnO, and CrZnO were Staphylococcus aureus (15.5 ± 0.5 mm), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (19.2 ± 0.5 mm), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (19.7 ± 0.5), respectively. The MIC values indicated that they were in the range of 0.02 to 0.2 mg/mL. The MBC values showed that the tested bacteria’s growth could be inhibited at concentrations ranging from 0.2 to 2.0 mg/mL. According to the MBC/MIC ratio, BaZnO, RuZnO, and CrZnO exhibit bacteriostatic effects and may target bacterial protein synthesis based on the results of the tolerance test. This study shows the efficacy of the above-mentioned nanoparticles on bacterial growth. Further biotechnological and toxicological studies on the nanoparticles fabricated here are recommended to benefit from these findings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Nanomaterials: Design, Synthesis and Applications)

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12 pages, 2185 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Inhibition of Phytopathogenic and Beneficial Fungi Applying Silver Nanoparticles In Vitro

by Ileana Vera-Reyes, Josué Altamirano-Hernández, Homero Reyes-de la Cruz, Carlos A. Granados-Echegoyen, Gerardo Loera-Alvarado, Abimael López-López, Luis A. Garcia-Cerda and Esperanza Loera-Alvarado

Molecules 2022, 27(23), 8147; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27238147 - 23 Nov 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1619

Abstract

In the current research, our work measured the effect of silver nanoparticles (AgNP) synthesized from Larrea tridentata (Sessé and Moc. ex DC.) on the mycelial growth and morphological changes in mycelia from different phytopathogenic and beneficial fungi. The assessment was conducted in Petri dishes, with Potato-Dextrose-Agar (PDA) as the culture medium; the AgNP concentrations used were 0, 60, 90, and 120 ppm. Alternaria solani and Botrytis cinerea showed the maximum growth inhibition at 60 ppm (70.76% and 51.75%). Likewise, Macrophomina spp. required 120 ppm of AgNP to achieve 65.43%, while Fusarium oxisporum was less susceptible, reaching an inhibition of 39.04% at the same concentration. The effect of silver nanoparticles was inconspicuous in Pestalotia spp., Colletotrichum gloesporoides, Phytophthora cinnamomi, Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae, and Trichoderma viridae fungi. The changes observed in the morphology of the fungi treated with nanoparticles were loss of definition, turgidity, and constriction sites that cause aggregations of mycelium, dispersion of spores, and reduced mycelium growth. AgNP could be a sustainable alternative to managing diseases caused by Alternaria solani and Macrophomina spp. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Nanomaterials: Design, Synthesis and Applications)

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14 pages, 2364 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Biosynthesis and Characterization of Extracellular Silver Nanoparticles from Streptomyces aizuneusis: Antimicrobial, Anti Larval, and Anticancer Activities

by Hemmat M. Abd-Elhady, Mona A. Ashor, Abdelkader Hazem, Fayez M. Saleh, Samy Selim, Nihal El Nahhas, Shams H. Abdel-Hafez, Samy Sayed and Enas A. Hassan

Molecules 2022, 27(1), 212; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27010212 - 30 Dec 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2047

Abstract

The ability of microorganisms to reduce inorganic metals has launched an exciting eco-friendly approach towards developing green nanotechnology. Thus, the synthesis of metal nanoparticles through a biological approach is an important aspect of current nanotechnology. In this study, Streptomyces aizuneusis ATCC 14921 gave the small particle of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) a size of 38.45 nm, with 1.342 optical density. AgNPs produced by Streptomyces aizuneusis were characterized by means of UV-VIS spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The UV-Vis spectrum of the aqueous solution containing silver ion showed a peak between 410 to 430. Moreover, the majority of nanoparticles were found to be a spherical shape with variables between 11 to 42 nm, as seen under TEM. The purity of extracted AgNPs was investigated by energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXA), and the identification of the possible biomolecules responsible for the reduction of Ag⁺ ions by the cell filtrate was carried out by Fourier Transform Infrared spectrum (FTIR). High antimicrobial activities were observed by AgNPs at a low concentration of 0.01 ppm, however, no deleterious effect of AgNPs was observed on the development and occurrence of Drosophila melanogaster phenotype. The highest reduction in the viability of the human lung carcinoma and normal cells was attained at 0.2 AgNPs ppm. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Nanomaterials: Design, Synthesis and Applications)

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15 pages, 2273 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Precursors and Carbon Nanotubes on Electrochemical Properties of Electrospun Nickel Oxide Nanofibers-Based Supercapacitors

by Reziwanguli Aihemaitituoheti, Nuha A. Alhebshi and Turdimuhammad Abdullah

Molecules 2021, 26(18), 5656; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26185656 - 17 Sep 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2993

Abstract

Supercapacitors have been considered as one of the main energy storage devices. Recently, electrospun nanofibers have served as promising supercapacitor electrodes because of their high surface area, high porosity, flexibility, and resistance to aggregation. Here, we investigate the effects of electrospinning parameters and nickel precursors on the nanostructure of electrospun nickel oxide (NiO), as well as on their electrochemical performance as supercapacitor electrodes. In contrast to the case of using nickel nitrate, increasing the nickel acetate molar concentration maintains the flexible fibrous sheet morphology of the as-spun sample during the polycondensation and calcination of NiO. As a result, our flexible electrode of NiO nanofibers derived from nickel acetate (NiO-A) exhibits much better electrochemical performance values than that of nickel nitrate-derived NiO. To further improve the electrochemical storage performance, we combined NiO-A nanofibers with single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as a hybrid electrode. In both half-cell and full-cell configurations, the hybrid electrode displayed a higher and steadier areal capacitance than the NiO-A nanofibers because of the synergetic effect between the NiO-A nanofibers and CNTs. Altogether, this work demonstrates the potency of the hybrid electrodes combined with the electrospun NiO-A nanofibers and CNTs for supercapacitor applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Nanomaterials: Design, Synthesis and Applications)

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12 pages, 5986 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Modification on the Fluid Diffusion Coefficient in Silica Nanochannels

by Gengbiao Chen and Zhiwen Liu

Molecules 2021, 26(13), 4030; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26134030 - 1 Jul 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1990

Abstract

The diffusion behavior of fluid water in nanochannels with hydroxylation of silica gel and silanization of different modified chain lengths was simulated by the equilibrium molecular dynamics method. The diffusion coefficient of fluid water was calculated by the Einstein method and the Green–Kubo method, so as to analyze the change rule between the modification degree of nanochannels and the diffusion coefficient of fluid water. The results showed that the diffusion coefficient of fluid water increased with the length of the modified chain. The average diffusion coefficient of fluid water in the hydroxylated nanochannels was 8.01% of the bulk water diffusion coefficient, and the diffusion coefficients of fluid water in the –(CH₂)₃CH₃, –(CH₂)₇CH₃, and –(CH₂)₁₁CH₃ nanochannels were 44.10%, 49.72%, and 53.80% of the diffusion coefficients of bulk water, respectively. In the above four wall characteristic models, the diffusion coefficients in the z direction were smaller than those in the other directions. However, with an increase in the silylation degree, the increased self-diffusion coefficient due to the surface effect could basically offset the decreased self-diffusion coefficient owing to the scale effect. In the four nanochannels, when the local diffusion coefficient of fluid water was in the range of 8 Å close to the wall, Dz was greater than Dxy, and beyond the range of 8 Å of the wall, the Dz was smaller than Dxy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Nanomaterials: Design, Synthesis and Applications)

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11 pages, 2911 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Polydopamine Nanocluster Embedded Nanofibrous Membrane via Blow Spinning for Separation of Oil/Water Emulsions

by Zhenglian Liu, Ziling Xu, Chaoqi Liu, Yajing Zhao, Qingyin Xia, Minghao Fang, Xin Min, Zhaohui Huang, Yan’gai Liu and Xiaowen Wu

Molecules 2021, 26(11), 3258; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26113258 - 28 May 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2462

Abstract

Developing a porous separation membrane that can efficiently separate oil–water emulsions still represents a challenge. In this study, nanofiber membranes with polydopamine clusters polymerized and embedded on the surface were successfully constructed using a solution blow-spinning process. The hierarchical surface structure enhanced the selective wettability, superhydrophilicity in air (≈0°), and underwater oleophobicity (≈160.2°) of the membrane. This membrane can effectively separate oil–water emulsions, achieving an excellent permeation flux (1552 Lm⁻² h⁻¹) and high separation efficiency (~99.86%) while operating only under the force of gravity. When the external driving pressure was increased to 20 kPa, the separation efficiency hardly changed (99.81%). However, the permeation flux significantly increased to 5894 Lm⁻² h⁻¹. These results show that the as-prepared polydopamine nanocluster-embedded nanofiber membrane has an excellent potential for oily wastewater treatment applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Nanomaterials: Design, Synthesis and Applications)

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12 pages, 4219 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Influence of Dopant Concentration on Optical-Electrical Features of Quantum Dot-Sensitized Solar Cell

by Dang Huu Phuc, Ha Thanh Tung, Van-Cuong Nguyen and My Hanh Nguyen Thi

Molecules 2021, 26(10), 2865; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26102865 - 12 May 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2350

Abstract

In this study, TiO₂/CdS/Cd_xCu_1−xSe, TiO₂/CdS/Cd_xMn_1−xSe, and TiO₂/CdS/Cd_xAg_2−2xSe thin films were synthesized by chemical bath deposition for the fabrication of photoanode in quantum-dot-sensitized solar cells. As a result, the structural properties of the thin films have been studied by X-ray diffraction, which confirmed the zinc Blende structure in the samples. The optical films were researched by their experimental absorption spectra with different doping concentrations. Those results were combined with the Tauc correlation to estimate the absorption density, the band gap energy, valence band and conduction band positions, steepness parameter, and electron–phonon interaction. Furthermore, the electrical features, electrochemical impedance spectrum and photocurrent density curves were carried out. The result was used to explain the enhancing performance efficiency. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Nanomaterials: Design, Synthesis and Applications)

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11 pages, 3489 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synthesis and Characterization of ZnO-SiO₂ Composite Using Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch as a Potential Silica Source

by Fida’i Rahmat, Yap Wing Fen, Muhammad Fahmi Anuar, Nur Alia Sheh Omar, Mohd Hafiz Mohd Zaid, Khamirul Amin Matori and Rahayu Emilia Mohamed Khaidir

Molecules 2021, 26(4), 1061; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26041061 - 18 Feb 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2097

Abstract

In this paper, the structural and optical properties of ZnO-SiO₂-based ceramics fabricated from oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) were investigated. The OPEFB waste was burned at 600, 700 and 800 °C to form palm ash and was then treated with sulfuric acid to extract silica from the ash. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses confirmed the existence of SiO₂ in the sample. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) showed that the particles displayed an irregular shape and became finer after leaching. Then, the solid-state method was used to produce the ZnO-SiO₂ composite and the samples were sintered at 600, 800, 1000, 1200 and 1400 °C. The XRD peaks of the Zn₂SiO₄ showed high intensity, which indicated high crystallinity of the composite. FESEM images proved that the grain boundaries were larger as the temperature increased. Upon obtaining the absorbance spectrum from ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, the energy band gaps obtained were 3.192, 3.202 and 3.214 eV at room temperature, 600 and 800 °C, respectively, and decreased to 3.127, 2.854 and 2.609 eV at 1000, 1200 and 1400 °C, respectively. OPEFB shows high potential as a silica source in producing promising optical materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Nanomaterials: Design, Synthesis and Applications)

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33 pages, 4380 KiB

Open AccessReview

Tungsten-Based Nanocatalysts: Research Progress and Future Prospects

by Shaorou Ke, Xin Min, Yangai Liu, Ruiyu Mi, Xiaowen Wu, Zhaohui Huang and Minghao Fang

Molecules 2022, 27(15), 4751; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27154751 - 25 Jul 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2960

Abstract

The high price of noble metal resources limits its commercial application and stimulates the potential for developing new catalysts that can replace noble metal catalysts. Tungsten-based catalysts have become the most important substitutes for noble metal catalysts because of their rich resources, friendly environment, rich valence and better adsorption enthalpy. However, some challenges still hinder the development of tungsten-based catalysts, such as limited catalytic activity, instability, difficult recovery, and so on. At present, the focus of tungsten-based catalyst research is to develop a satisfactory material with high catalytic performance, excellent stability and green environmental protection, mainly including tungsten atomic catalysts, tungsten metal nanocatalysts, tungsten-based compound nanocatalysts, and so on. In this work, we first present the research status of these tungsten-based catalysts with different sizes, existing forms, and chemical compositions, and further provide a basis for future perspectives on tungsten-based catalysts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Functional Nanomaterials: Design, Synthesis and Applications)

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