scholarly journals Potential of MXenes in Water Desalination: Current Status and Perspectives

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ihsanullah Ihsanullah

AbstractMXenes, novel 2D transition metal carbides, have emerged as wonderful nanomaterials and a superlative contestant for a host of applications. The tremendous characteristics of MXenes, i.e., high surface area, high metallic conductivity, ease of functionalization, biocompatibility, activated metallic hydroxide sites, and hydrophilicity, make them the best aspirant for applications in energy storage, catalysis, sensors, electronics, and environmental remediation. Due to their exceptional physicochemical properties and multifarious chemical compositions, MXenes have gained considerable attention for applications in water treatment and desalination in recent times. It is vital to understand the current status of MXene applications in desalination in order to define the roadmap for the development of MXene-based materials and endorse their practical applications in the future. This paper critically reviews the recent advancement in the synthesis of MXenes and MXene-based composites for applications in desalination. The desalination potential of MXenes is portrayed in detail with a focus on ion-sieving membranes, capacitive deionization, and solar desalination. The ion removal mechanism and regeneration ability of MXenes are also summarized to get insight into the process. The key challenges and issues associated with the synthesis and applications of MXenes and MXene-based composites in desalination are highlighted. Lastly, research directions are provided to guarantee the synthesis and applications of MXenes in a more effective way. This review may provide an insight into the applications of MXenes for water desalination in the future.

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (24) ◽  
pp. 7725
Author(s):  
Amanda Kulpa-Koterwa ◽  
Tadeusz Ossowski ◽  
Paweł Niedziałkowski

Over the past few decades, nanoparticles of iron oxide Fe3O4 (magnetite) gained significant attention in both basic studies and many practical applications. Their unique properties such as superparamagnetism, low toxicity, synthesis simplicity, high surface area to volume ratio, simple separation methodology by an external magnetic field, and renewability are the reasons for their successful utilisation in environmental remediation, biomedical, and agricultural applications. Moreover, the magnetite surface modification enables the successful binding of various analytes. In this work, we discuss the usage of core–shell nanoparticles and nanocomposites based on Fe3O4 for the modification of the GC electrode surface. Furthermore, this review focuses on the heavy metal ions electrochemical detection using Fe3O4-based nanoparticles-modified electrodes. Moreover, the most frequently used electrochemical methods, such as differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry and measurement conditions, including deposition potential, deposition time, and electrolyte selection, are discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Shamshi Hassan

AbstractHierarchical bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) nano-knitted hollow cages have been synthesized by simple hydrothermal method and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive x-ray spectrometer, Fourier transform infrared, UV-Vis, and Raman. The photodegradation efficiency of BiVO4 nanocage for universally used methylene blue dye. The BiVO4 hollow nanostructure demonstrated better photocatalytic competence in dye degradation as compared to the commercial TiO2 powders (P25). The excellent dye degradation can be certified to the high crystallisation of monoclinic BiVO4 and hollow nanostructure, which leads to high surface area and small bandgap energy of 2.44 eV.


Molecules ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (7) ◽  
pp. 1760 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernanda Guerra ◽  
Mohamed Attia ◽  
Daniel Whitehead ◽  
Frank Alexis

Environmental remediation relies mainly on using various technologies (e.g., adsorption, absorption, chemical reactions, photocatalysis, and filtration) for the removal of contaminants from different environmental media (e.g., soil, water, and air). The enhanced properties and effectiveness of nanotechnology-based materials makes them particularly suitable for such processes given that they have a high surface area-to-volume ratio, which often results in higher reactivity. This review provides an overview of three main categories of nanomaterials (inorganic, carbon-based, and polymeric-based materials) used for environmental remediation. The use of these nanomaterials for the remediation of different environmental contaminants—such as heavy metals, dyes, chlorinated organic compounds, organophosphorus compounds, volatile organic compounds, and halogenated herbicides—is reviewed. Various recent examples are extensively highlighted focusing on the materials and their applications.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (8) ◽  
pp. 1709-1718
Author(s):  
T. Veldevi ◽  
K. Thileep Kumar ◽  
R.A. Kalaivani ◽  
S. Raghu ◽  
A.M. Shanmugharaj

Hierarchical nanostructured graphene–manganese dioxide nanowire (G-MnO2-NW) composites have been prepared by hydrothermal synthesis route using water/1-decanol as the medium. Synthesized materials were analyzed using various characterization tools to corroborate their chemical compositions, structure/morphology and surface area. Electrochemical measurements of the synthesized G-MnO2-NW electrode materials delivered the highest specific capacity (255 Fg-1), high rate capability and improved cycling stability at 0.5 Ag–1 in 1M sodium sulfate solution and this fact may be attributed to its high surface area and porosity. Moreover, synthesized G-MnO2-NW electrodes displayed better energy and power density, when compared to the MnO2-NW based electrodes.


Chemosensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheng Li

Forensic detection of non-volatile nitro explosives poses a difficult analytical challenge. A colorimetric sensor comprising of ultrasonically prepared silica-dye microspheres was developed for the sensitive gas detection of cyclohexanone, a volatile marker of explosives 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazinane (RDX) and 1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocane (HMX). The silica-dye composites were synthesized from the hydrolysis of ultrasonically sprayed organosiloxanes under mild heating conditions (150 °C), which yielded microspherical, nanoporous structures with high surface area (~300 m2/g) for gas exposure. The sensor inks were deposited on cellulose paper and given sensitive colorimetric responses to trace the amount of cyclohexanone vapors even at sub-ppm levels, with a detection limit down to ~150 ppb. The sensor showed high chemical specificity towards cyclohexanone against humidity and other classes of common solvents, including ethanol, acetonitrile, ether, ethyl acetate, and ammonia. Paper-based colorimetric sensors with hierarchical nanostructures could represent an alternative sensing material for practical applications in the detection of explosives.


2012 ◽  
Vol 102 ◽  
pp. S78
Author(s):  
S. Tegami ◽  
F. Gomez ◽  
O. Jäkel ◽  
D. Gonzalez-Castano ◽  
F.J. Kaiser ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Jayant Yadav ◽  
Poonam Jasrotia ◽  
Ajay Kumar Bhardwaj ◽  
Prem Lal Kashyap ◽  
Sudheer Kumar ◽  
...  

 Nanotechnology is a rapidly evolving field that has the potential to revolutionise food systems and counter the present-day challenge of food security. It envisages taking agriculture from the era of indiscriminate natural resource use and environmental degradation to the brave new world of advanced systems with enhanced material use efficiency and targeted applications to reduce crop losses caused due to abiotic-biotic stresses as well as to give due considerations to the environment. To manage plant diseases and insect pests, pesticides are inevitably used in agriculture. However, the higher dosage of these chemicals on a per hectare basis has resulted in many environmental and health hazards. To tackle the conventional pesticide related issues, a new field of science called nanotechnology has led to the development of nanopesticides that have less active ingredients, but better efficiency. The nanopesticides contain the carrier molecule or the active nanosized ingredient with a very high surface area to the volume property that provides them unique exploitable-advantages. Several formulations, viz., nanoemulsions, nanosuspensions, nanogels, metal compound-based nanopesticides, have been developed for different modes of action and vivid applications. The biggest advantage comes due to the small size of the particles that help in properly spreading the ingredients on the pest surface and, thus, producing a better action than conventional pesticides. The use of nanoparticles in the form of nanopesticides, nanofertilisers, and nano delivery systems is on the increase day by day due to their higher efficiency and reduced dosage requirements. However, human beings and other organisms are also getting exposed to the nano-entities during the application or afterwards. The interactions of these engineered nano-entities with biological systems are relatively unknown thus far. Therefore, before their wider usage in crop production and protection, a better understanding of their interactions, and adverse effects, if any, is also crucial for a sustainable transition.  


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashoka Gamage ◽  
Thiviya Punniamoorthy ◽  
Terrence Madhujith

Environmental pollution is becoming a major global issue with increasing anthropogenic activities that release massive toxic pollutants into the land, air, and water. Nanomaterials have gained the most popularity in the last decades over conventional methods because of their high surface area to volume ratio and higher reactivity. Nanomaterials including metal, metal oxide, zero-valent ions, carbonaceous nanomaterials, and polymers function as adsorbents, catalysts, photocatalysts, membrane (filtration), disinfectants, and sensors in the detection and removal of various pollutants such as heavy metals, organic pollutants, dyes, industrial effluents, and pathogenic microbial. Polymer-inorganic hybrid materials or nanocomposites are highly studied for the removal of various contaminants. Starch, a heteropolysaccharide, is a natural biopolymer generally incorporated with other metal, metal oxide, and other polymeric nanoparticles and has been reported in various environmental remediation applications as a low-cost alternative for petroleum-based polymers. Therefore, this chapter mainly highlights the various nanomaterials used in environmental remediation, starch-based hybrid nanomaterials, and their application and limitations.


Author(s):  
Zheng Li

Forensic detection of non-volatile nitro explosives poses a tough analytical challenge. A colorimetric sensor comprising ultrasonically prepared silica-dye microspheres was developed for sensitive gas detection of cyclohexanone, a volatile marker of explosives 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazinane (RDX) and 1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocane (HMX). The silica-dye composites were synthesized from the hydrolysis of ultrasonically sprayed organosiloxanes under mildly heating conditions (150 oC), which yields microspherical, nanoporous structures with high surface area (~300 m2/g) for gas exposure. The sensor inks were deposited on cellulose paper and gave sensitive colorimetric responses to trace amount of cyclohexanone vapors even at sub-ppm levels, with the detection limit down to ~150 ppb. The sensor showed high chemical specificity towards cyclohexanone against humidity and other classes of common solvents, including ethanol, acetonitrile, ether, ethyl acetate, and ammonia. Paper-based colorimetric sensors with hierarchical nanostructures could represent an alternative sensing materials for practical applications in the detection of explosives.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rabia Baby ◽  
Bullo Saifullah ◽  
Mohd Zobir Hussein

Abstract Nanotechnology is an advanced field of science having the ability to solve the variety of environmental challenges by controlling the size and shape of the materials at a nanoscale. Carbon nanomaterials are unique because of their nontoxic nature, high surface area, easier biodegradation, and particularly useful environmental remediation. Heavy metal contamination in water is a major problem and poses a great risk to human health. Carbon nanomaterials are getting more and more attention due to their superior physicochemical properties that can be exploited for advanced treatment of heavy metal-contaminated water. Carbon nanomaterials namely carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, graphene, graphene oxide, and activated carbon have great potential for removal of heavy metals from water because of their large surface area, nanoscale size, and availability of different functionalities and they are easier to be chemically modified and recycled. In this article, we have reviewed the recent advancements in the applications of these carbon nanomaterials in the treatment of heavy metal-contaminated water and have also highlighted their application in environmental remediation. Toxicological aspects of carbon-based nanomaterials have also been discussed.


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