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

• studies and sustainable technologies, this study presents new insights into the complex relationship between contaminants and catalytic degradation processes. Compared to single and binary photocatalysts, modified ternary composites were found to have superior photodegradation performance under visible

• − + h+ → HO• + H+) [35][57]. After excitation, H+ possesses the capacity to interact with electrons, generating thermal energy (H+ + e− → energy). This process results in a reduction of the photodegradation efficiency. Notably, the typical redox potential of photocatalysts must exceed that of HO•/OH

• . Heterojunctions can be classified in type-I heterojunctions (Figure 5a), type-II heterojunctions (Figure 5b), p–n junctions (Figure 5c), Schottky junctions (Figure 5d), and Z-scheme heterojunctions (Figure 5e,f), which have all been extensively studied regarding antibiotic photodegradation [67][68]. When a

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

• experiment. The efficiency of MB photodegradation (X%) was determined by Equation 2: where M0 and Mf are the concentrations of MB at the beginning and at the end of the photocatalytic test, respectively. Dispersion of the pigments clay/Nb and clay/Nb/MB in colorless commercial paint The samples A-BEPh, A

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

• photocatalyst and 20 ppm of MB dye was exposed to UV light in order to initiate photodegradation. Measurements were taken at 15 min intervals to track the reduction in MB dye concentration. UV–visible spectrophotometry was used to measure the absorbance at 663 nm. Under UV irradiation, the photodegradation of

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

• and biological sensing [38][39][40]. The optical, thermal, and photocatalytic [40] reactivity of ZnO can also be improved with this method without changing its basic hexagonal structure. Consequently, the photodegradation of aqueous organic compounds triggered by manganese-doped ZnO still provides

• 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

• usually involved in the photodegradation of organic compounds in aqueous media as previously reported [54]. The generation of hydroxyl radicals (·OH) by SG and MW catalysts under simulated solar light irradiation (AM1.5) was determined from the PL emission at 451 nm assigned to the presence of a

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

• are evaluated for photodegradation (PD) of methylene blue under solar simulator irradiation. Our findings revealed that WS2 exhibited the highest PD efficiency of 67.6% and achieved an impressive PD rate constant of 6.1 × 10−3 min−1. Conversely, MoS2 displayed a somewhat lower PD performance of 43.5

• several cycles. This finding underscores the advantageous outcomes of intermixing WS2 and MoS2, shedding light on the development of an efficient and enduring photocatalyst for visible-light-driven photodegradation of methylene blue. Keywords: methylene blue; MoS2/WS2 composite; photocatalysis

• ; photodegradation; transition-metal dichalcogenides; Introduction Water contamination has become a pressing global concern, threatening ecosystems, agriculture, and human well-being [1][2]. The massive industrialization has dramatically contributed to water pollution, which has prompted policymakers to put in

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

• a continuous emission xenon light source (190–900 nm). All the samples were dispersed in deionized water and analyzed with an excitation wavelength of 350 and 900 nm in aqueous medium. Photocatalytic evaluation The photocatalytic activity of the synthesized CQDs was studied for the photodegradation

• of the photodegradation reaction under light radiation. In the case of tests conducted with incandescent light, a lamp was used as the light source, placed approximately 10 cm away from the solution, and the reaction was allowed to proceed for 100 min. During the degradation tests, both sunlight and

• t (Figure 8). The concentration of MB was estimated based on the absorbance of the peak centered at 664 nm, using the Lambert–Beer law. As expected, the synthesized CQDs were catalytically active for the photodegradation of MB. All samples displayed a linear behavior and exhibited R2 values around

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

• CoFe2O4/GQDs composite material was placed in flasks sealed with aluminium foil and containing 20 mL of 10 ppm MB solution at pH 3–11, adjusted with 0.01 M HCl or 0.01 M NaOH. After 60 min of adsorption and photodegradation, the tubes were placed in a photocatalytic cabinet for illumination for 120 min

• photodegradation were evaluated by using dual liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC/MS-MS) after the MB solution samples were illuminated for 0, 60, 120, and 180 min. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) of MB solution samples was assessed after 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 min of light exposure. Result and

The microstrain-accompanied structural phase transition from h-MoO₃ to α-MoO₃ investigated by in situ X-ray diffraction

• Zeqian Zhang,
• Honglong Shi,
• Boxiang Zhuang,
• Minting Luo and
• Zhenfei Hu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 692–700, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.55

• File 1 shows photodegradation experiments of methylene blue irradiated by ultraviolet light. The photodegradation rate of methylene blue was quantitatively estimated by pseudo-first-order kinetics. The reaction rate constants (k) are 0.01625, 0.01882, and 0.01258 min−1 for the samples calcinated at 300

Titania nanoparticles for photocatalytic degradation of ethanol under simulated solar light

• Evghenii Goncearenco,
• Iuliana P. Morjan,
• Claudiu Teodor Fleaca,
• Florian Dumitrache,
• Elena Dutu,
• Monica Scarisoreanu,
• Valentin Serban Teodorescu,
• Alexandra Sandulescu,
• Crina Anastasescu and
• Ioan Balint

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 616–630, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.51

• transmission electron microscopy. Also, specific surface area and photoluminescence with optical absorbance were evaluated. By varying the synthesis parameters (especially the working pressure), different TiO2 nanopowders were obtained, whose photodegradation properties were tested compared to a commercial

• nanoparticles with dimensions of 40–80 nm, whose number increases with increasing the working pressure. The photocatalytic properties have been investigated regarding the photodegradation of ethanol vapors in Ar with 0.3% O2 using P25 powder as reference under simulated solar light. During the irradiation H2

• many studies carried out in gas and liquid phases concerning the photodegradation of ethanol through TiO2-based materials, targeting both hydrogen production [25][26] and the photocatalytic oxidation of ethanol to CO2 [27][28]. Hydrogen production and depollution via ethanol photodegradation are of

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

• nanostructures with oriented carrier transport, high optical performance, and a short carrier diffusion length, for instance, were prepared by Li and co-workers [42]. The photodegradation rates of ciprofloxacin and tetracycline were, respectively, 94.8% and 81.1% after 1 h. Additionally, Lin et al. [122

Antimicrobial and mechanical properties of functionalized textile by nanoarchitectured photoinduced Ag@polymer coating

• Jessica Plé,
• Marine Dabert,
• Helene Lecoq,
• Sophie Hellé,
• Lydie Ploux and
• Lavinia Balan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 95–109, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.11

• microorganism, suggesting that the polymer matrix releases one or more compounds capable of inhibiting fungal growth. In a previous study [51], we demonstrated that the polymer matrix is capable of releasing several organic compounds due to photodegradation, including formic acid. This weak acid has been shown

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

• . The mechanistic insights on the transfer and separation of charge carriers along with the photodegradation performance and reactive oxygen species (ROS) trapping have been enunciated in detail. The apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) further substantiated the potential of MBN to be used as a visible

• photolysis of H2O2. Aliquots were drawn at regular intervals, ultracentrifuged at 7500 rpm, and then subjected to quantification of residual concentration of pollutants using a spectrophotometer (UV 2600 SHIMADZU, Japan). The intermediates formed during the photodegradation of phenol were analysed through a

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

• degradation, the most notable oxidizing species are •OH, photogenerated holes, and •O2−. These species are responsible for the photodegradation of organic and inorganic contaminants in wastewater [40]. To date, it is widely understood that the main limitation of photocatalysts is their low photocatalytic

• irradiation, the RhB photodegradation efficiency of the coralloid particles produced at pH 7 was about four times greater than that of the sample synthesized at pH 0.5. The increased photocatalytic activity was caused by several factors, such as a synergistic effect of highly exposed (010) grain facets, an

• increase in the overlap between Bi 6s and O 2p orbitals, a reduced charge transfer route, and strange floating features. In another approach, Huang et al. reported a one-step hydrothermal synthesis of a BiIO4/Bi2MoO6 hybrid photocatalyst for photodegradation of RhB dye [56]. Under visible-light irradiation

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

• photocatalysts. ZnO has a higher quantum efficiency than that of TiO2 since it absorbs more energy in the UV region [4][5][6][7]. Furthermore, ZnO is a low-cost photocatalyst with high photocatalytic activity, nontoxicity, light sensitivity, and stability [8][9][10]. The photodegradation of organic substances by

• activity in dye degradation (methylene blue and methyl orange). The photodegradation efficiency of a dye solution by ZnO NPs under UV is greater than that under visible light. ZnO NPs completely degraded a MB solution of 10 mg/L for 210 min under ultraviolet light while the MB degradation efficiency

Spindle-like MIL101(Fe) decorated with Bi₂O₃ nanoparticles for enhanced degradation of chlortetracycline under visible-light irradiation

• Chen-chen Hao,
• Fang-yan Chen,
• Kun Bian,
• Yu-bin Tang and
• Wei-long Shi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 1038–1050, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.91

• To evaluate the photocatalytic activity of BOM-20, the photodegradation of chlortetracycline (CTC) under visible-light irradiation was conducted. It can be seen from Figure 6a that Bi2O3 shows poor adsorption and photocatalytic activity, and the CTC removal rate is only 40% within 120 min. MIL101(Fe

• ) shows strong adsorption capacity in the dark and a poorer photocatalytic activity. With the photocatalysis of MIL101(Fe), the photodegradation efficiency of CTC only could reach 64.5% after irradiation for 120 min. Compared with MIL101(Fe), Bi2O3/MIL101(Fe) composites exhibit a slightly weakened

• various composites, BOM-20 shows the highest activity with a CTC removal rate up to 88.2%. Additionally, Figure 6b demonstrates that the photocatalytic degradation of CTC accords with the quasi-first-order kinetic model. Figure 6c shows the apparent kinetic constant (k) of CTC photodegradation by the 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

• transmittance and suitable surface area for degrading methylparaben. Although Ti-doped catalyst was expected as a semiconductor to enhance the photocatalytic efficiency, pure LaFeO3 still revealed the better performance of methylparaben photodegradation than LaTi0.15Fe0.85O3 [28]. On the contrary, Garcia-Muñoz

• showed no MB degradation). The degradation of 70% LaFeO3 in 30 min was approximately 60.0%. Considering the light shading effect by LaNiO3, the MB photodegradation of physically mixed 70% LaFeO3 and 30% LaNiO3 might be lower. On the contrary, the LaFe0.7Ni0.3O3 showed 78.5% of MB degradation in 30 min

• . Therefore, we believed there would be a benefit of doping Ni to improve the photodegradation. In Figure 9, by taking the negative natural logarithmic value of C/C0, it was observed that all the degradation trends were in line with first-order kinetics: where k was the rate constants of MB degradation

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

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

• photodegradation of the orange II dye of brookite varies with the annealing temperature [20]. These differences in the photocatalytic activity of brookite were generally considered as factors such as the specific surface area, crystallite size, and crystallinity [9][21]. But whether the local atomic structure of

• activity. Results and Discussion Enhanced photocatalytic activity The photocatalytic activity of the samples calcinated at 300–600 °C for 2 h was measured by the photodegradation of MB under UV light at room temperature. Figure 1a and Figure 1b display the dynamic changes in the absorption spectra of MB

• activity, and more than 90% of MB was decolorized after UV light irradiation for 30 min. However, for the samples calcinated at 500 and 600 °C, it takes about 60 min to degrade 90% of MB. Moreover, the photodegradation rate of MB by the samples was quantitatively characterized based on pseudo first-order

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

Tin dioxide nanomaterial-based photocatalysts for nitrogen oxide oxidation: a review

• Viet Van Pham,
• Hong-Huy Tran,
• Thao Kim Truong and
• Thi Minh Cao

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2022, 13, 96–113, doi:10.3762/bjnano.13.7

• photocatalytic mechanisms, and the polymer photodegradation of the resulting nanocomposite using DFT techniques. The results confirmed that the interaction between NO and PANI is indeed a hydrogen bond and photogenerated holes serve as the primary factor of the photocatalytic NO removal [35]. Moreover, this

• . Figure 6 was reprinted with permission from [66], Copyright 2010 American Chemical Society. This content is not subject to CC BY 4.0. NO photodegradation of materials under solar light (a), the dependence of concentration on irradiation time (b), photochemical stability of SnO2 NPs (NPs) (c), and NO

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

• obtained via a hydrothermal treatment method using solid SiO2 spheres, urea, and nickel nitrate hexahydrate. Although NiPS compounds are extensively used as catalysts, to our knowledge, reports on the use of core–shell based nickel–phyllosilicate composites in dye photodegradation are yet to be reported

• photodegradation of methyl violet dye. For comparison, the photocatalytic properties of pristine TiO2 were also investigated. It is postulated that the controlled surface area of the mesoporous SiO2 as well as the formation of a core–shell network with a flake-like NiPS structure on the surface aided in creating a

• recombination, leading to faster charge transport and photodegradation. Typically, the photocatalytic degradation efficacy of TiO2 depends on the surface area and metal-ion doping on the surface. Metal-ion doping of TiO2 influences its interfacial charge-transfer properties [51]. Differences in

Nanocasting synthesis of BiFeO₃ nanoparticles with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

• Thomas Cadenbach,
• Maria J. Benitez,
• A. Lucia Morales,
• Cesar Costa Vera,
• Luis Lascano,
• Francisco Quiroz,
• Alexis Debut and
• Karla Vizuete

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1822–1833, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.164

• wet impregnation process and a calcination procedure with intermediate plateaus, monodisperse 5.5 nm BiFeO3 nanoparticles were successfully obtained. Furthermore, the nanoparticles were applied in photodegradation reactions of rhodamine B in aqueous solution under visible-light irradiation. Notably

• , the cast BiFeO3 nanoparticles demonstrated very high efficiencies and stability under visible-light irradiation, much higher than those of BiFeO3 nanoparticles synthesized by other synthetic methods. The possible mechanism in the photodegradation process has been deeply discussed on the basis of

• the particle size. The smaller the particle, the greater the specific surface area is and, thus, the more active sites are available for photodegradation [15][18]. In addition, it was shown that size and shape of BiFeO3 particles have a direct influence on the bandgap of the material. Smaller BiFeO3

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

• 0D/2D CuO structure and interfacial interaction between CuO and tourmaline. The initial solution pH affected the photocatalytic performance mainly via changing the adsorption of dye molecules onto photocatalysts (Figure 7a), as adsorption occurred firstly during the photodegradation reactions [42

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

• photocatalytic degradation performance of all samples was tested with MB as the target pollutant. Figure 7 representatively shows the temporal evolution of the UV–vis spectra during the photodegradation of aqueous MB over the 2-S2 sample (a) and the variation of the MB concentration C/C0 with time in the

• denotes the photodegradation process of MB during irradiation. The concentration of MB at t = −30 min is referred to as the initial concentration C0. After 30 min of adsorption, the concentration decreases to Ce at t = 0. The adsorption efficiency (Ae) is calculated by (C0 − Ce)/C0. The degradation

• the fitted curves. Valence-band XPS of 2-S0, 2-S0.5, 2-S1, 2-S3 and 2-S5. The UV–vis DRS of 2-S0, 2-S0.5, 2-S1, 2-S3 and 2-S5. The inset is the magnified plot of the UV–vis DRS in the visible light region. The temporal evolution of the UV–Vis spectra during the photodegradation of aqueous MB over the

Lipid nanostructures for antioxidant delivery: a comparative preformulation study

• Elisabetta Esposito,
• Maddalena Sguizzato,
• Markus Drechsler,
• Paolo Mariani,
• Federica Carducci,
• Claudio Nastruzzi,
• Giuseppe Valacchi and
• Rita Cortesi

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1789–1801, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.174

• proposed in the treatment of breast, lung and liver cancers [21][22]. Notably, it has been demonstrated that CS induces RA deficiency [23]. Despite the enormous potential of TOC and RA, some drawbacks are associated to their topical use, such as photodegradation, poor water solubility and irritative skin