Clays enhanced with niobium: potential in wastewater treatment and reuse as pigment with antibacterial activity

• Silvia Jaerger,
• Patricia Appelt,
• Mario Antônio Alves da Cunha,
• Fabián Ccahuana Ayma,
• Ricardo Schneider,
• Carla Bittencourt and
• Fauze Jacó Anaissi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 141–154, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.13

• /bjnano.16.13 Abstract Bentonite clay sourced from the Guarapuava region, Brazil, was modified with niobium oxide (BEOx) and niobium phosphate (BEPh) to act as an adsorbent and photocatalyst in the remediation of wastewater containing methylene blue (MB) dye. Additionally, colored materials were evaluated

• , play a crucial role in industries requiring coloring, such as textile, food, cosmetics, rubber, printing, paper, and plastic. Globally, an estimated 7 × 105 tons of dyes are produced, with 10–15% typically disposed of as wastewater pollutants [2]. Among the most used dyes, methylene blue (MB) is an

Characterization of ZnO nanoparticles synthesized using probiotic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum GP258

• Prashantkumar Siddappa Chakra,
• Aishwarya Banakar,
• Shriram Narayan Puranik,
• Vishwas Kaveeshwar,
• C. R. Ravikumar and
• Devaraja Gayathri

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 78–89, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.8

• electronic transition, making them suitable for further applications in photocatalysis, electronics, and optoelectronics. Photocatalytic study ZnO NPs were utilized in a photocatalytic degradation test to reduce the concentration of the harmful dye methylene blue (MB). A solution containing 20 mg of ZnO NP

Effect of wavelength and liquid on formation of Ag, Au, Ag/Au nanoparticles via picosecond laser ablation and SERS-based detection of DMMP

• Sree Satya Bharati Moram,
• Chandu Byram and
• Venugopal Rao Soma

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1054–1069, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.86

• selecting an appropriate excitation wavelength for enhanced molecular detection. Experimental Materials Dimethyl methyl phosphonate (DMMP, C3H9O3P, 98% pure); methyl salicylate (MS, C₈H₈O₃, 99% pure), methylene blue (MB, C16H18ClN3S), and thiram (C6H12N2S4) were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich. All chemicals

Intermixing of MoS₂ and WS₂ photocatalysts toward methylene blue photodegradation

• Maryam Al Qaydi,
• Nitul S. Rajput,
• Michael Lejeune,
• Abdellatif Bouchalkha,
• Mimoun El Marssi,
• Steevy Cordette,
• Chaouki Kasmi and
• Mustapha Jouiad

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 817–829, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.68

• removal, or synthetic dye degradation [4][5][6]. For instance, methylene blue (MB), which is considered one of the most used synthetic organic dyes in various industrial and medical applications, poses serious risks as a pollutant to water resources [7]. Indeed, MB is a potential carcinogen and mutagen

Green synthesis of biomass-derived carbon quantum dots for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue

• Dalia Chávez-García,
• Mario Guzman,
• Viridiana Sanchez and
• Rubén D. Cadena-Nava

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 755–766, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.63

• quantum dots (CQDs) through a hydrothermal method using biomass from watermelon peels and grape pomace. This method is chosen for its ease of production, low cost, and scalability. We aim to evaluate the potential of CQDs as catalysts in the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye in

Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue under visible light by cobalt ferrite nanoparticles/graphene quantum dots

• Vo Chau Ngoc Anh,
• Le Thi Thanh Nhi,
• Le Thi Kim Dung,
• Dang Thi Ngoc Hoa,
• Nguyen Truong Son,
• Nguyen Thi Thao Uyen,
• Nguyen Ngoc Uyen Thu,
• Le Van Thanh Son,
• Le Trung Hieu,
• Tran Ngoc Tuyen and
• Dinh Quang Khieu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 475–489, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.43

• degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible light. The catalyst can be recycled with an external magnetic field and displays suitable stability. Also, it was reused in three successive experiments with a loss of efficiency of about 5%. The CF/GQDs are considered as an efficient photocatalyst for MB

Rapid and sensitive detection of box turtles using an electrochemical DNA biosensor based on a gold/graphene nanocomposite

• Abu Hashem,
• M. A. Motalib Hossain,
• Ab Rahman Marlinda,
• Mohammad Al Mamun,
• Khanom Simarani and
• Mohd Rafie Johan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1458–1472, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.120

• differentiate BT DNA from DNAs of other animals by using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) using methylene blue (MB) as a redox species. Results and Discussion Design of a unique probe for BT The identification and differentiation of different species is difficult because related species share many

LED-light-activated photocatalytic performance of metal-free carbon-modified hexagonal boron nitride towards degradation of methylene blue and phenol

• Nirmalendu S. Mishra and
• Pichiah Saravanan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1380–1392, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.114

• plots) and charge trapping analysis confirmed the dominance of e−, O2−•, and •OH as dominant reactive oxygen species. The carbon modification could effectively remove 93.83% of methylene blue (MB, 20 ppm solution) and 48.56% of phenol (10 ppm solution) from the aqueous phase in comparison to HBN which

• -responsive material with improved charge carrier density (2.97 × 1019 cm−3). The LED light harvesting properties were analysed through various established characterization techniques and the photocatalysis was verified by eliminating the aqueous phase methylene blue (MB: 93.83%) and phenol (48.56%) moieties

Green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles toward highly efficient photocatalysis and antibacterial application

• Vo Thi Thu Nhu,
• Nguyen Duy Dat,
• Le-Minh Tam and
• Nguyen Hoang Phuong

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1108–1119, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.94

• electron microscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The fabricated ZnO NP samples are crystalline with a grain size of 30–100 nm. The ZnO NPs were used as catalysts for the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) under visible and UV light. The results indicate

• applications. Nava et al. [26] prepared ZnO NPs using Camellia sinensis extracts and applied ZnO NPs to degrade methylene blue (MB). Ambika et al. [12] synthesized ZnO by a green method using a precursor from the Vitex negundo plant extract and zinc nitrate, and antimicrobial properties of ZnO NPs were

Solar-light-driven LaFe_xNi_1−xO₃ perovskite oxides for photocatalytic Fenton-like reaction to degrade organic pollutants

• Chao-Wei Huang,
• Shu-Yu Hsu,
• Jun-Han Lin,
• Yun Jhou,
• Wei-Yu Chen,
• Kun-Yi Andrew Lin,
• Yu-Tang Lin and
• Van-Huy Nguyen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 882–895, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.79

• : LaFeO3; LaNiO3; methylene blue (MB); perovskite oxides; photocatalyst; Introduction With the advancement of science and technology, the world's population is increasing, leading to the fact that factories are consuming more and more resources. Water inevitably plays a vital role in industrial

Sodium doping in brookite TiO₂ enhances its photocatalytic activity

• Boxiang Zhuang,
• Honglong Shi,
• Honglei Zhang and
• Zeqian Zhang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 599–609, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.52

• methylene blue (MB) solution at room temperature under UV light generated by a PLS-SXE300 Xenon lamp with a 365 nm band filter. Following the method reported by Wang et al. [22], 15 mg of the catalyst was dispersed into 75 mL of the MB solution (10 mg/L). Before UV light irradiation, the suspension was

Zinc oxide nanostructures for fluorescence and Raman signal enhancement: a review

• Ioana Marica,
• Fran Nekvapil,
• Maria Ștefan,
• Cosmin Farcău and
• Alexandra Falamaș

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 472–490, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.40

• band. According to the authors, one of the reasons for this phenomenon was the coupling between surface plasmon absorption of Au NPs and photoluminescence of ZnO nanorods. However, the ZnO–Au nanostructures showed a high SERS activity, demonstrated for methylene blue (MB) with a limit of detection of

A comprehensive review on electrospun nanohybrid membranes for wastewater treatment

• Senuri Kumarage,
• Imalka Munaweera and
• Nilwala Kottegoda

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 137–159, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.10

• eriochrome black T (EBT) are anionic dyes, while basic blue 41 (BB41), toluidine blue O (TBO), methylene blue (MB), methyl violet (MV), and rhodamine blue (RhB) are cationic organic dyes [74]. Textile, tannery, paper, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and food and paper industries are responsible for the release

Unravelling the interfacial interaction in mesoporous SiO₂@nickel phyllosilicate/TiO₂ core–shell nanostructures for photocatalytic activity

• Bridget K. Mutuma,
• Xiluva Mathebula,
• Isaac Nongwe,
• Bonakele P. Mtolo,
• Boitumelo J. Matsoso,
• Rudolph Erasmus,
• Zikhona Tetana and
• Neil J. Coville

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1834–1846, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.165

• systems and humanity. For instance, textile dyes of the methylene family, such as methylene blue (MB), methyl orange (MO), and methyl violet (MV), have detrimental toxicological and ecological effects on human life and the environment [1][2]. Thus, considerable efforts have been garnered towards finding

Effect of Ag loading position on the photocatalytic performance of TiO₂ nanocolumn arrays

• Jinghan Xu,
• Yanqi Liu and
• Yan Zhao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 717–728, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.59

• efficiency of methylene blue (MB) compared with Ag-coated TiO2 (ACT) nanocolumn arrays and pure TiO2 nanocolumns arrays. Both experimental and theoretical simulation results demonstrated that the enhanced photocatalytic performance of AFT nanocolumn arrays was attributed to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR

• , chromic acid (H2CrO4), and methylene blue (MB) were purchased from Alfa Aesar. Alcohol, perchloric acid (HClO4), and sulfuric acid (H2SO4) were purchased from Beijing Chemical Works. All the chemicals used in the experiments were of analytical grade and used without further purification. Method Anodized

• blue, methylene blue, etc. This article uses methylene blue (MB) as the dye molecule. To evaluate the influence of the different structures on the catalytic reaction, UV–vis photocatalytic experiments were carried out on different samples using MB solution as the reactant, as shown in Figure 7. In

Adsorptive removal of bulky dye molecules from water with mesoporous polyaniline-derived carbon

• Hyung Jun An,
• Jong Min Park,
• Nazmul Abedin Khan and
• Sung Hwa Jhung

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 597–605, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.47

• water contaminated with dyes, such as acid red 1 (AR1), Janus green B (JGB), methyl orange (MO) and methylene blue (MB), via adsorption. AR1 is a large anionic dye which is toxic and widely applied in the paper industry [44]. Janus green B (JGB) is one of the most typical large cationic dyes that is

• ), methyl orange (MO), methylene blue (MB) and Janus green B (JGB) over AC and KOH-900. Effect of contact time on (a) AR1 and (b) JGB adsorption over AC and KOH-900. (a) Adsorption isotherms and (b) Langmuir plots for the adsorption of AR1 from water over AC and KOH-900. Effect of pH on the adsorbed amounts

Synthesis and enhanced photocatalytic performance of 0D/2D CuO/tourmaline composite photocatalysts

• Changqiang Yu,
• Min Wen,
• Zhen Tong,
• Shuhua Li,
• Yanhong Yin,
• Xianbin Liu,
• Yesheng Li,
• Tongxiang Liang,
• Ziping Wu and
• Dionysios D. Dionysiou

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 407–416, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.31

• nontoxic products. In this work, a CuO/tourmaline composite with zero-dimensional/two-dimensional (0D/2D) CuO architecture was successfully obtained via a facile hydrothermal process, and its photocatalytic activity was evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue (MB). Surface element valence state and

Improved adsorption and degradation performance by S-doping of (001)-TiO₂

• Xiao-Yu Sun,
• Xian Zhang,
• Xiao Sun,
• Ni-Xian Qian,
• Min Wang and
• Yong-Qing Ma

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 2116–2127, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.206

• − at a ratio of RS/Ti = 1 and also in the form of S6+ replacing Ti4+ at RS/Ti ≥ 2. As a result, S-doping causes a lattice distortion, because the ionic radii of S2− and S6+ differ from that of the O2− and Ti4+ ions. (2) S-doping increases the adsorption coefficient Ae for methylene blue (MB) from 0.9

• photocatalytic activity was tested by the degradation of methylene blue (MB). For this, the samples were placed 20 cm away from a xenon lamp (300 W, 16 A). The experimental process was as follows: 50 mg of catalyst was added into a 100 mL MB solution with a concentration of 10 mg/L, and the samples were kept in

Direct observation of oxygen-vacancy formation and structural changes in Bi₂WO₆ nanoflakes induced by electron irradiation

• Hong-long Shi,
• Bin Zou,
• Zi-an Li,
• Min-ting Luo and
• Wen-zhong Wang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1434–1442, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.141

• (condenser lens aperture) opening of 70 μm. Experiments of photocatalytic activity The photocatalytic activity of the samples was determined by measuring the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible-light irradiation using a 300 W Xe lamp with a 420 nm cut-off filter. In the experiment, 40 mg Bi2WO6

Photoactive nanoarchitectures based on clays incorporating TiO₂ and ZnO nanoparticles

• Eduardo Ruiz-Hitzky,
• Pilar Aranda,
• Marwa Akkari,
• Nithima Khaorapapong and
• Makoto Ogawa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1140–1156, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.114

• photodegradation of diverse organic compounds, including the photodecolorization of dyes such as methylene blue (MB), methyl green (MG), acid red G, acid yellow 11, acid orange 11, and Congo red, in water, as well as other photo-applications, for instance, water splitting under UV or visible/solar light

• as starting reagents. Interestingly, they reported a considerable increase of the photocatalytic activity in the degradation of methylene blue (MB) in water solution under UV irradiation for Pd–ZnO@kaolinite compared to Pd@ZnO, ZnO@kaolinite, and pure ZnO under equivalent experimental conditions. Pd

Low cost tips for tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy fabricated by two-step electrochemical etching of 125 µm diameter gold wires

• Antonino Foti,
• Francesco Barreca,
• Enza Fazio,
• Cristiano D’Andrea,
• Paolo Matteini,
• Onofrio Maria Maragò and
• Pietro Giuseppe Gucciardi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2718–2729, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.254

• blue (MB), pigments of cultural heritage interest (alizarin-s, AZ-s) [58] and highly toxic protein oligomers [59]. Tests are carried out in gap-mode, absorbing the probe molecules on gold films with side-illumination at an excitation wavelength of 638 nm. Molecular solutions at different concentrations

• on the shaft (red line). Typical laser powers are 1.0–2.5 mW and integration times are 0.5–1.0 s per pixel. TERS spectra of dyes, pigments and biomolecules The tips have been applied to evaluate the spectra of analyze standard dye molecules such as rhodamine 6G (R6G), crystal violet (CV), methylene

Impact of the anodization time on the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ nanotubes

• Jesús A. Díaz-Real,
• Geyla C. Dubed-Bandomo,
• Juan Galindo-de-la-Rosa,
• Luis G. Arriaga,
• Janet Ledesma-García and
• Nicolas Alonso-Vante

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2628–2643, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.244

• systematically studied the influence of the anodization time on the morphological, structural, surface-chemical, photo-electrical, and opto-electronic properties in order to explain their PCA in the degradation of methylene blue (MB). Results and Discussion SEM/EDS The morphology of the samples prepared for each

• applications. Photocatalytic activity of the TNTs In order to investigate the PCA of the samples, the degradation of methylene blue (MB) was studied under UV irradiation. Ions are found in the waste waters from the textile industry resulting from the dyeing and bleaching processes, thus allowing the use of an

Synthesis of a MnO₂/Fe₃O₄/diatomite nanocomposite as an efficient heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst for methylene blue degradation

• Zishun Li,
• Xuekun Tang,
• Kun Liu,
• Jing Huang,
• Yueyang Xu,
• Qian Peng and
• Minlin Ao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1940–1950, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.185

• nanocomposite is synthesized and then used as heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst to degrade the organic pollutant methylene blue (MB) with the activation of PMS. The characterization results show that the Fe3O4 nanoparticles and nanoflower-like MnO2 are evenly distributed layer-by-layer on the surface of

• methylene blue (MB) as the target pollutant, because MB is a typical organic dye with well-known toxicity and a threat to water environments [19]. The structural characterization and recyclability of the nanocomposite are also investigated. To the best of our knowledge, there are no reports about the

Uniform cobalt nanoparticles embedded in hexagonal mesoporous nanoplates as a magnetically separable, recyclable adsorbent

• Can Zhao,
• Yuexiao Song,
• Tianyu Xiang,
• Wenxiu Qu,
• Shuo Lou,
• Xiaohong Yin and
• Feng Xin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1770–1781, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.168

• ) has proved to be one of the most effective strategies for enhancing their adsorption performance in aqueous solutions [10][11][12]. Torad et al. [13] reported the high adsorption capacity of porous carbon particles with magnetic Co nanoparticles towards methylene blue (MB) dye. They attributed this to

Perovskite-structured CaTiO₃ coupled with g-C₃N₄ as a heterojunction photocatalyst for organic pollutant degradation

• Ashish Kumar,
• Christian Schuerings,
• Suneel Kumar,
• Ajay Kumar and
• Venkata Krishnan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 671–685, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.62

• methylene blue (MB) and thiabendazole (TBZ) under visible light irradiation. Another attractive strategy for enhancement of photocatalytic performance is the coupling of a wide band gap material with a low band gap material, which allows the charge transfer via suitably arranged band edge positions in both