Emerging strategies in the sustainable removal of antibiotics using semiconductor-based photocatalysts

• Yunus Ahmed,
• Keya Rani Dutta,
• Parul Akhtar,
• Md. Arif Hossen,
• Md. Jahangir Alam,
• Obaid A. Alharbi,
• Hamad AlMohamadi and
• Abdul Wahab Mohammad

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2025, 16, 264–285, doi:10.3762/bjnano.16.21

• semiconductor-based photocatalysts for the degradation of antibiotics (Figure 1). The appeal of photocatalysis lies in its potential to achieve extensive mineralization, converting organic pollutants into harmless mineral compounds. Furthermore, its nonselective nature enables it to address a broad spectrum of

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

• residues from the original organic matter, thus avoiding the disposal of sludge [8]. This approach allows the removal of various organic pollutants, including textile dyes, using solid semiconductors (e.g., NbOPO4 and Nb2O5) and photons (with energy greater than the bandgap energy of the semiconductor) to

• generate OH• radicals (strong oxidants), leading to the mineralization of organic pollutants, including textile dyes [8]. In this study, the strategy and objective are to modify bentonite clay with niobium phosphate and niobium oxide by the calcinated method, and then use it as an adsorbent or

Facile synthesis of size-tunable L-carnosine-capped silver nanoparticles and their role in metal ion sensing and catalytic degradation of p-nitrophenol

• Akash Kumar,
• Ridhima Chadha,
• Abhishek Das,
• Nandita Maiti and
• Rayavarapu Raja Gopal

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1576–1592, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.124

• with various contaminants. Keywords: catalysis; heavy metals; ʟ-carnosine; p-nitrophenol; silver nanoparticles; Introduction The persistent rise in environmental pollution, notably from heavy metal ions and organic pollutants, has propelled the development of innovative and efficient environmental

• biomagnification [1]. Similarly, organic pollutants such as p-nitrophenol (P-NP), from agricultural and industrial processes, are of significant concern because of their toxicity and resistance to degradation [2]. Consequently, detection and removal of these contaminants have become crucial for environmental

Nanoarchitectonics with cetrimonium bromide on metal nanoparticles for linker-free detection of toxic metal ions and catalytic degradation of 4-nitrophenol

• Akash Kumar and
• Raja Gopal Rayavarapu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1312–1332, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.106

• , India Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India 10.3762/bjnano.15.106 Abstract Heavy metal ions and organic pollutants, such as 4-nitrophenol (4-NP), pose significant environmental and human health threats. Addressing these challenges necessitates using advanced

• that is rapid and affordable for the detection of heavy metal ions as well as for the degradation of organic pollutants such as 4-nitrophenol. Developing a robust sensing platform based on metal nanoparticles requires a modulation of the surface chemistry, which is governed by the choice of capping

Interaction of graphene oxide with tannic acid: computational modeling and toxicity mitigation in C. elegans

• Romana Petry,
• James M. de Almeida,
• Francine Côa,
• Felipe Crasto de Lima,
• Diego Stéfani T. Martinez and
• Adalberto Fazzio

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1297–1311, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.105

• , phototransformation, and degradation [8]. Furthermore, because of the presence of sites for different types of interaction mechanisms (i.e., hydrogen bonding, van der Waals interaction, and π–π stacking), its structure favors the adsorption of different molecules (i.e., biomolecules and organic pollutants) and metal

Mn-doped ZnO nanopowders prepared by sol–gel and microwave-assisted sol–gel methods and their photocatalytic properties

• Cristina Maria Vlăduț,
• Crina Anastasescu,
• Silviu Preda,
• Oana Catalina Mocioiu,
• Simona Petrescu,
• Jeanina Pandele-Cusu,
• Dana Culita,
• Veronica Bratan,
• Ioan Balint and
• Maria Zaharescu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1283–1296, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.104

• proven to be efficient compounds for the photodegradation of organic pollutants from water, but this approach becomes really valuable when a green energy source (solar light) is used. Furthermore, photomineralization of aqueous pollutants is fully desirable because no harmful intermediates remain. In

• photocatalytic properties of SG and MW. Based on these preliminary results, it is fully desirable to develop such engineered materials [57] for the removal of organic pollutants. It is important to expand the activity range of the materials from UV to visible light by tailoring the manganese addition to ZnO and

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

• build up on the VB to generate the oxidization of OH− (see Figure 10), resulting in the formation of •OH. Despite the slow oxidative hydrolysis kinetics, the oxidative radical species remain crucial to drive the photodegradation of organic pollutants [24][25]. Using the Nernst equation [45], the

• –Hinshelwood kinetics model as previously explained. Our results show a PD rate constant of 5.97 × 10−3 min−1 and 5.22 × 10−3 min−1 achieved under sunlight and solar simulator, respectively, as shown in Supporting Information File 1, Figure S6 and Figure S7). Generally, the photodegradation of organic

• pollutants is often driven by reactive agents, such as superoxide radicals, hydroxyl radicals, or photo-induced holes produced from either the conduction or valence bands [41][42]. The mechanism of the PD of MB under visible light excitation consists of several steps: Initially, the MB dye molecules are

Nanomaterials for photocatalysis and applications in environmental remediation and renewable energy

• Viet Van Pham and
• Wee-Jun Ong

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 722–724, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.58

• persistent organic pollutants (POPs) also contributes to water pollution, increasing global environmental pollution. Recently, the reduction and conversion of CO2 into fuel as valuable hydrocarbon products has been drawing attention from scientists in materials science, chemical engineering, nanotechnology

• photocatalysis mechanism outlining several possible targets (i.e., NOx degradation, water splitting, degradation of organic pollutants, and enhancement of electron generation in a solar-cell application). This Thematic Issue highlights recent experimental and theoretical developments in using light harvesting by

• Wee-Jun Ong Ho Chi Minh City and Sepang, June 2023. A general photocatalytic mechanism for several possible target processes: (1) NOx degradation, (2) water splitting for hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions, (3) degradation of organic pollutants, and (4) solar cell application. Acknowledgements

Bismuth-based nanostructured photocatalysts for the remediation of antibiotics and organic dyes

• Akeem Adeyemi Oladipo and
• Faisal Suleiman Mustafa

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 291–321, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.26

• techniques has demonstrated varying levels of effectiveness and drawbacks that restrict their widespread use. For instance, due to deficiencies such as the formation of harmful by-products and incomplete removal of organic pollutants, traditional water treatment methods such as sedimentation, filtration, and

• treatment technologies, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are regarded as a practical, efficient, and fiercely competitive technology for water treatment for the removal of a variety of toxic and bio-recalcitrant organic pollutants and for the inactivation of pathogen microorganisms that cannot be treated

• -photochemical techniques, such as chemical, radiation-induced, cavitation, electrochemical techniques, and photochemical processes [11][15][16][17]. One of the AOPs, photocatalysis, uses natural light – a resource that is both clean and recyclable – to completely degrade a variety of organic pollutants and

Non-stoichiometric magnetite as catalyst for the photocatalytic degradation of phenol and 2,6-dibromo-4-methylphenol – a new approach in water treatment

• Joanna Kisała,
• Anna Tomaszewska and
• Przemysław Kolek

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1531–1540, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.126

• the available electrons, and, as a result, bromide ions can be released. The results confirm that magnetite is an effective photocatalyst in the degradation of halogenated aromatic pollutants. Keywords: magnetite; ozonolysis; persistent organic pollutants; photocatalysis; water treatment

• , ozonation, Fenton chemistry, and photocatalysis have been successfully used to remove persistent organic pollutants (POPs) or as a pre-treatment in conventional or biological methods [10]. Ozonation is an AOP technique that has been widely used to remove organic compounds such as drugs, pesticides

• igneous and metamorphic rocks [12]. It is also found in sediments and soils. Magnetite has the smallest energy gap, the highest conductivity, and one of the lowest reduction potentials among natural minerals. It is an important reducer of heavy metals and organic pollutants in aquatic environments. Due to

A TiO₂@MWCNTs nanocomposite photoanode for solar-driven water splitting

• Anh Quynh Huu Le,
• Ngoc Nhu Thi Nguyen,
• Hai Duy Tran,
• Van-Huy Nguyen and
• Le-Hai Tran

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1520–1530, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.125

• reactions. As a wide-bandgap (ca. 3.2 eV) semiconductor, TiO2 is a promising photocatalyst for degrading a massive range of high-molecular-weight organic pollutants under UV radiation [1]. Because of high specific surface, nanoscale TiO2 as grains or tubes can absorb UV light more substantially than

Recent trends in Bi-based nanomaterials: challenges, fabrication, enhancement techniques, and environmental applications

• Vishal Dutta,
• Ankush Chauhan,
• Ritesh Verma,
• C. Gopalkrishnan and
• Van-Huy Nguyen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1316–1336, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.109

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

• technologies have been proposed to remove organic pollutants from water, including coagulation coupled with sedimentation, biological processes, membrane filtration, adsorption, advanced oxidation, catalysis, and photocatalysis [1][2][3]. Using semiconductors as photocatalysts has been a widely studied

• approach for the complete removal of organic pollutants due to their advantages. Semiconductors can act as catalysts for the complete degradation of organic substances when excited by light with an energy value higher than their bandgap. Among many semiconductors, TiO2 and ZnO are widely used as

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

• related industries that consume water [4]. However, it leads to a severe environmental issue due to a large amount of discharged wastewater. For example, domestic wastewater mainly includes organic pollutants from excrement, clothing, cleaning lotion, etc. On the other hand, wastewater discharged from the

• [7]. On the other hand, pharmaceuticals' personal care products (PPCPs) are also sources of organic pollutants in wastewaters. PPCPs cover prescription drugs, nutritious foods, and personal health products that may cause environmental impacts. Among the medicines, tetracycline is antibiotics, which

• Fenton method exhibits high oxidation capability and low selectivity for removing most organic substances. It can decompose organic pollutants into smaller organic molecules and generate carbon dioxide, water, and inorganic ions [17]. Generally, the ferrous ion employed in the Fenton reaction is from

Hierarchical Bi₂WO₆/TiO₂-nanotube composites derived from natural cellulose for visible-light photocatalytic treatment of pollutants

• Zehao Lin,
• Zhan Yang and
• Jianguo Huang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 745–762, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.66

• some Bi2WO6/TiO2 composites, which were employed in various photocatalytic applications, such as degradation of organic pollutants [25], oxidation of methane [24], and production of hydrogen by water splitting [26]. According to these reports, Bi2WO6/TiO2 composites have better photocatalytic

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

• HAuCl4 to controllably grow Au NPs on the ZnO nanorods and obtained effective substrates for the ultrasensitive detection of organic pollutants in water, which could be recycled multiple times [45]. Powdered ZnO–Au nanocomposites were synthesized via hydrothermal reactions, a simple, facile, and

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

Boosting of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution via chlorine doping of polymeric carbon nitride

• Malgorzata Aleksandrzak,
• Michalina Kijaczko,
• Wojciech Kukulka,
• Daria Baranowska,
• Martyna Baca,
• Beata Zielinska and
• Ewa Mijowska

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 473–484, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.38

• hydrogen [1][2][3][4], environmental remediation [5][6], decomposition of organic pollutants [7], CO2 reduction into hydrocarbon fuels [8][9][10], disinfection [11][12], and selective organic transformations [13][14]. One of the most studied catalysts is polymeric carbon nitride (PCN). This graphite-like

Self-assembly and spectroscopic fingerprints of photoactive pyrenyl tectons on hBN/Cu(111)

• Domenik M. Zimmermann,
• Knud Seufert,
• Luka Ðorđević,
• Tobias Hoh,
• Sushobhan Joshi,
• Tomas Marangoni,
• Davide Bonifazi and
• Willi Auwärter

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1470–1483, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.130

• anchor for noncovalent functionalization, e.g., to develop graphene platforms to be used in sensing applications [65][66][67] and to employ hBN monolayers for capturing aromatic organic pollutants [68]. On bulk insulators, it was, for instance, demonstrated how the optical properties of an adsorbed

Preparation, characterization and photocatalytic performance of heterostructured CuO–ZnO-loaded composite nanofiber membranes

• Wei Fang,
• Liang Yu and
• Lan Xu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 631–650, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.50

• flocculation, have attracted much attention recently [1][2][3]. The photocatalytic purification of water has the advantages of high efficiency, thoroughness, and no secondary pollution. Various refractory organic pollutants in water are thoroughly oxidized to non-toxic and less harmful substances. Thus

• in the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants were performed [46][47][48]. In this study, the photocatalytic degradation experiments under UV irradiation were carried out using the four prepared CNFMs in order to degrade a methyl orange solution with a concentration of 10 mg/L. The four

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

• removal of contaminants of emerging concern, hazardous organics and persistent organic pollutants. Carbonaceous materials have been particularly attractive in the purification of contaminated water via adsorption because of the easy preparation of carbon materials [26], especially from waste materials [28

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

• File 1, Figure S3). The results implied that the as-synthesized CuO/tourmaline composite was durable and stable toward the photocatalytic decomposition of organic pollutants, which might be because tourmaline protected CuO from photocorrosion by facilitating the fast transfer of the photogenerated e

• for the oxidation of organic pollutants. (a) XRD spectra of the CuO, tourmaline, and CuO/tourmaline composite. (b) High-resolution Cu 2p XPS spectra of the CuO and CuO/tourmaline composite. FTIR spectra of the CuO, tourmaline, and CuO/tourmaline composite. SEM images of (a) tourmaline, (b) CuO, and (c

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

• -S2 sample has the highest •OH and •O2− signal intensity. This indicates that the sample has the highest number of •OH and •O2− radicals. Therefore, it shows the best pollutant degradation performance. •OH and •O2− radicals can degrade organic pollutants (MB) into nontoxic CO2 and water. Furthermore

• increase in the amount of •OH and •O2− radicals. Keywords: anatase; chemical state; degradation; photocatalytic properties; S-doping; thermal chemical vapor deposition; titanium dioxide (TiO2); Introduction Anatase TiO2 with a tetragonal symmetry has widely been used for the degradation of organic

• pollutants, as well as in electrocatalysis, solar cells and self-cleaning applications. Its wide use is based on its physicochemical properties, abundance, nontoxicity, environment-friendliness and low cost [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. The photocatalytic properties of anatase TiO2 crystals are anisotropic since

BiOCl/TiO₂/diatomite composites with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity for the degradation of rhodamine B

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

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1412–1422, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.139

• Abstract A BiOCl/TiO2/diatomite (BTD) composite was synthesized via a modified sol–gel method and precipitation/calcination method for application as a photocatalyst and shows promise for degradation of organic pollutants in wastewater upon visible-light irradiation. In the composite, diatomite was used as

Construction of a 0D/1D composite based on Au nanoparticles/CuBi₂O₄ microrods for efficient visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity

• Weilong Shi,
• Mingyang Li,
• Hongji Ren,
• Feng Guo,
• Xiliu Huang,
• Yu Shi and
• Yubin Tang

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1360–1367, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.134

• , Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212018, PR China School of Energy and Power, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212003, PR China 10.3762/bjnano.10.134 Abstract Photocatalysis is considered to be a promising technique for the degradation of organic pollutants. Herein, a 0D/1D composite

• photocatalysis as an advanced green technology has been widely studied and applied for the removal of organic pollutants from water [1][2][3]. The catalytic activity of many wide-bandgap (Eg) semiconductor photocatalysts is restricted to UV light radiation, which is only 5% of the solar spectrum. Hence, the

• used for the oxidative degradation of organic pollutants [18]. In this context, there is a need for more efforts regarding the design and development of efficient noble metal-decorated CuBi2O4 photocatalysts. Recently, composite photocatalysts of zero-dimensional (0D) and one-dimensional (1D) materials