Immobilized Nanomaterials for Environmental Applications

Abstract

Nanomaterials (NMs) have been extensively used in several environmental applications; however, their widespread dissemination at full scale is hindered by difficulties keeping them active in engineered systems. Thus, several strategies to immobilize NMs for their environmental utilization have been established and are described in the present review, emphasizing their role in the production of renewable energies, the removal of priority pollutants, as well as greenhouse gases, from industrial streams, by both biological and physicochemical processes. The challenges to optimize the application of immobilized NMs and the relevant research topics to consider in future research are also presented to encourage the scientific community to respond to current needs.

Composite Nanoarchitectonics of Photoactivated Titania-Based Materials with Anticancer Properties

“…Plasmonic photocatalysts have attracted significant scientific attention in order to be used in the catalytic degradation of several organic pollutants or dyes through visible-light photocatalysis [ 13 , 17 ]. In order to recycle the catalysts and reduce the toxicity that is related to the nano-size of the particles, the point is to immobilize the selected photocatalyst on various substrates, such as silica and polymeric materials [ 18 , 19 ]. An ideal photocatalytic system must possess the following characteristics [ 20 ]: (a) it should facilitate strong interactions between the supporting material and the photocatalyst, preventing them from leaching during various experimental processes; (b) independent of the technique that is selected in anchoring the photocatalyst on the support, it is important for a photocatalyst to be reactive, providing a large surface area; (c) the resulting photocatalyst on a support should also be stable over a given time period; and (d) the support must be resistant to the degradation caused by the produced reactive oxygen species during the photocatalysis process.…”