Nanocontainers, Nano-Adsorbents, and Their Polymer Composites

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 19561

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dipartimento di Fisica e Chimica, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, pad. 17, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Interests: nanocontainers; nano adsorbents; nanotubes; zeolites; nano-clays; halloysite; carbon nanotubes; graphene oxide; imogolite; titanium dioxide; polymer composites; drug delivery; wastewater treatment; nanofillers; food packaging
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Currently, there is enormous interest in the application and development of natural and synthetic nanocontainers in different fields. These nano-sized materials have a wide range of tuneable properties. Usually, their cavities are used to hide and release different organic and inorganic compounds for different applications, and the outer surface is used to adsorb and/or interact with plenty of molecules and/or matrices, where they are used like fillers. The possibility of changing the properties by simple modifications of all of the surfaces gives users the ability to adapt the nanomaterial according to their own needs. A step forward is given by the opportunity to use these materials as nanofillers in different matrices for the development of nanocomposites with peculiar features that are able to cover a wide range of applications.

The aim of this Special Issue is to summarize or to publish for the first time the recent progresses in the synthesis, modification, characterization, and applications of nanocontainer and nano-adsorbent  that are used as they are or as fillers for polymer composites, with outstanding properties in a wide range of applications.

Topics include, but are not limited to the following:

Synthesis of organic and inorganic nanocontainers

Structural characterization and modification of both natural and synthetic nano-adsorbents

Computational studies on the structural characteristics and  adsorption properties of nanocontaineirs

Modification and/or functionalization of nanocontainers

Chemical–physical characterization of  nanocontainers

Mechanism of loading and release in nanocontainers

Nanocarriers for  drug delivery systems

Nanocontainers for catalytic and applications

Nanocontainers for wastewater treatment

Nanocontainers  for food preservation and packaging

Nanocontainers for cultural heritage applications

Nano-adsorbents for the removal of heavy metals and dyes

Separation and pre-concentration

Remediation

Dr. Filippo Parisi
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. Nanomaterials 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 2900 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

  • nanocontainers
  • nano adsorbents
  • nanotubes
  • zeolites
  • nano-clays
  • halloysite
  • carbon nanotubes
  • graphene oxide
  • imogolite
  • titanium dioxide
  • polymer composites
  • drug delivery
  • wastewater treatment
  • nanofillers
  • food packaging

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)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

15 pages, 2384 KiB  
Article
Recovery of Neodymium (III) from Aqueous Phase by Chitosan-Manganese-Ferrite Magnetic Beads
by Sergio Valverde Durán, Byron Lapo, Miguel Meneses and Ana María Sastre
Nanomaterials 2020, 10(6), 1204; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10061204 - 19 Jun 2020
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 3557
Abstract
Neodymium is a key rare-earth element applied to modern devices. The purpose of this study is the development of a hybrid biomaterial based on chitosan (CS) and manganese ferrite (MF) for the recovery of Nd(III) ions from the aqueous phase. The preparation of [...] Read more.
Neodymium is a key rare-earth element applied to modern devices. The purpose of this study is the development of a hybrid biomaterial based on chitosan (CS) and manganese ferrite (MF) for the recovery of Nd(III) ions from the aqueous phase. The preparation of the beads was performed in two stages; first, MF particles were obtained by the assessment of three temperatures during the co-precipitation synthesis, and the best nano-MF crystallites were incorporated into CS to obtain the hybrid composite material (CS-MF). The materials were characterized by FTIR, XRD, magnetization measurements, and SEM-EDX. The adsorption experiments included pH study, equilibrium study, kinetics study, and sorption–desorption reusability tests. The results showed that for MF synthesis, 60 °C is an appropriate temperature to obtain MF crystals of ~30 nm with suitable magnetic properties. The final magnetic CS-MF beads perform maximum adsorption at pH 4 with a maximum adsorption capacity of 44.29 mg/g. Moreover, the material can be used for up to four adsorption–desorption cycles. The incorporation of MF improves the sorption capacity of the neat chitosan. Additionally, the magnetic properties enable its easy separation from aqueous solutions for further use. The material obtained represents an enhanced magnetic hybrid adsorbent that can be applied to recover Nd(III) from aqueous solutions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanocontainers, Nano-Adsorbents, and Their Polymer Composites)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

15 pages, 3750 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Solar Light Photocatalytic Activity of Ag Doped TiO2–Ag3PO4 Composites
by Abdessalem Hamrouni, Hanen Azzouzi, Ali Rayes, Leonardo Palmisano, Riccardo Ceccato and Francesco Parrino
Nanomaterials 2020, 10(4), 795; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10040795 - 21 Apr 2020
Cited by 45 | Viewed by 3971
Abstract
Composites comprised of Ag3PO4 and bare TiO2 (TiO2@Ag3PO4) or silver doped TiO2 (Ag@TiO2–Ag3PO4) have been synthesized by coupling sol–gel and precipitation methods. For the sake of [...] Read more.
Composites comprised of Ag3PO4 and bare TiO2 (TiO2@Ag3PO4) or silver doped TiO2 (Ag@TiO2–Ag3PO4) have been synthesized by coupling sol–gel and precipitation methods. For the sake of comparison, also the bare components have been similarly prepared. All the samples have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), photoelectrochemical measurements, and specific surface area (SSA) analysis. The optoelectronic and structural features of the samples have been related to their photocatalytic activity for the degradation of 4–nitrophenol under solar and UV light irradiation. Coupling Ag3PO4 with silver doped TiO2 mitigates photocorrosion of the Ag3PO4 counterpart, and remarkably improves the photocatalytic activity under solar light irradiation with respect to the components, to the TiO2–Ag3PO4 sample, and to the benchmark TiO2 Evonik P25. These features open the route to future applications of this material in the field of environmental remediation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanocontainers, Nano-Adsorbents, and Their Polymer Composites)
Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 1763 KiB  
Article
Simultaneous Removal and Recovery of Metal Ions and Dyes from Wastewater through Montmorillonite Clay Mineral
by Filippo Parisi, Giuseppe Lazzara, Marcello Merli, Stefana Milioto, Francesco Princivalle and Luciana Sciascia
Nanomaterials 2019, 9(12), 1699; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano9121699 - 28 Nov 2019
Cited by 42 | Viewed by 3792
Abstract
The main objective of this work was to evaluate the potential of Montmorillonite nanoclay (Mt), readily and inexpensively available, for the simultaneous adsorption (and removal) of two classes of pollutants: metal ions and dyes. The attention was focused on two “model” pollutants: Ce(III) [...] Read more.
The main objective of this work was to evaluate the potential of Montmorillonite nanoclay (Mt), readily and inexpensively available, for the simultaneous adsorption (and removal) of two classes of pollutants: metal ions and dyes. The attention was focused on two “model” pollutants: Ce(III) and crystal violet (CV). The choice is due to the fact that they are widespread in wastewaters of various origins. These characteristics, together with their effect on human health, make them ideal for studies on water remediation. Moreover, when separated from wastewater, they can be recycled individually in industrial production with no or simple treatment. Clay/pollutant hybrids were prepared under different pH conditions and characterized through the construction of the adsorption isotherms and powder X-ray diffraction. The adsorption behavior of the two contaminants was revealed to be significantly different: the Langmuir model reproduces the adsorption isotherm of Ce(III) better, thus indicating that the clay offers a unique adsorption site to the metal ions, while the Freundlich model proved to be the most reliable for the uptake of CV which implies heterogeneity of adsorption sites. Moreover, metal ions do not adsorb at all under acidic conditions, whereas the dye is able to adsorb under all the investigated conditions. The possibility to modulate the adsorption features by simply changing the pH conditions was successfully employed to develop an efficient protocol for the removal and separation of the different components from aqueous solutions mimicking wastewaters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanocontainers, Nano-Adsorbents, and Their Polymer Composites)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

18 pages, 6001 KiB  
Article
Selective Dye Adsorption by Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8 Loaded UiO-66-NH2
by Hao Zhang, Xiaobo Shi, Jialiang Li, Parveen Kumar and Bo Liu
Nanomaterials 2019, 9(9), 1283; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano9091283 - 8 Sep 2019
Cited by 79 | Viewed by 7294
Abstract
In this study, Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8 (ZIF-8)-loaded UiO-66-NH2 was synthesized, characterized, and analyzed for its potential to efficiently remove dyes. The selective adsorption on ZIF-8-loaded UiO-66-NH2 or its parent MOFs (UiO-66-NH2 and ZIF-8) in the mixed dyes solution was explored, [...] Read more.
In this study, Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8 (ZIF-8)-loaded UiO-66-NH2 was synthesized, characterized, and analyzed for its potential to efficiently remove dyes. The selective adsorption on ZIF-8-loaded UiO-66-NH2 or its parent MOFs (UiO-66-NH2 and ZIF-8) in the mixed dyes solution was explored, including anionic dye (methyl orange (MO)) and cationic dyes (methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine B (RhB)). ZIF-8-loaded UiO-66-NH2 displayed much better selectivity to MB than its parent MOFs. Adsorption capacity of ZIF-8-loaded UiO-66-NH2 (173 mg/g) toward MB was found to be 215% higher than UiO-66-NH2 (55 mg/g). A kinetics study based on adsorption data demonstrated that the adsorption process most closely matched with the model of pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm. The adsorption was an exothermic and spontaneous physical process as revealed by the values of thermodynamic parameters. Furthermore, reusability of ZIF-8-loaded UiO-66-NH2 was investigated and revealed the significant regeneration efficiency in adsorption capacity for MB even after four adsorption cycles. Experimental results proved that the interaction between ZIF-8-loaded UiO-66-NH2 and MB was mainly affected by the mechanism, for instance, electrostatic interaction as well as π–π stacking interactions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanocontainers, Nano-Adsorbents, and Their Polymer Composites)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop