CompositeComposite inorganic–organicComposite nanomaterials nanomaterials offer a powerful platform forCetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) addressing complex challenges in environmental remediation. In this study, we present the synthesis and characterization of gold-cetyltrimethylammonium bromideCetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) (Au-CTABCetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)) nanoparticles as a model system for multifunctional pollutant perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) hybrid capture. These nanoparticles demonstrated efficient PFOAPerfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) capture through electrostatic interactions and hydrophobic partitioning facilitated by the CTABCetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) coating. The nanoparticle’s stability, high surface area, and multifunctionality underline their potential for real-world water treatment applications. Analytical tools such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM)Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDSEnergy Dispersion Spectroscopy (EDS)), UV–Vis spectroscopy, and zeta potential measurements were used for comprehensive characterization of the nanoparticles. This research study highlights the broader utility of engineered inorganic–organic nanocompositesNanocomposite in water treatment, pollutant monitoring, and adaptive environmental nanotechnology.

NanothermometryNanothermometry enablesMolecular thermostat precise temperature measurement at the nanoscale, providing critical insights into biological, chemical, and physical processes. Gold nanoparticlesGold nanoparticles (AuNPs), with their unique optical properties, serve as excellent platforms for nanoscale temperature sensing. When functionalized with stem-loop DNAStem-loop DNA structures exhibiting various melting points, these systems achieve high sensitivity in detecting temperature changes through conformational switching. This manuscript reviews the principles, fabrication strategies, and characterization of AuNP-DNA nanothermometers, highlighting their potential for applications in biomedical diagnostics, photothermal therapy monitoring, catalysis, and other nanoscale processes. The combination of plasmonicPlasmonics nanoparticles with programmable nucleic acids provides a robust, tunable, and biocompatible system for real-time thermal sensing and temperature mapping. The nanothermometers were characterized using various techniques, including fluorescence spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM)Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), UV–Vis spectroscopy, and phase analysis light scattering (PALS).

Composite nanomaterialsComposite nanomaterials, particularly those incorporating gold, monosodium titanates and titanium dioxide, hold substantial promise for detecting radionuclides using Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERSSERS). This study outlines the synthesis of two key nanostructures, i.e., gold-titanium dioxide core–shell nanorods and gold nanostarsNanostars on monosodium titanate (MST), designed for enhanced radionuclideRadionuclides sensing sensing and surface interactions. The core–shell nanorods were created using a seed-mediated growth method, followed by coating with SiO2 and TiO2 layers, which demonstrated excellent control over morphology and optical properties through UV–Vis spectroscopy and EDSEnergy Dispersion Spectroscopy (EDS) mapping. Meanwhile, MST-supported gold nanostarsNanostars synthesized via a hydrothermal approach offered superior SERSSERS capabilities due to their unique morphology and extensive surface area. Sorption experiments with radioactive strontium and plutonium simulant waste solutions revealed that these compositesComposite enhance metal removal efficiency, with specific SERSSERS signals corresponding to unique Raman fingerprints of the radionuclides, facilitating accurate detection and quantification in contaminated environments. This research study reflects the potential of tailored composite nanomaterialsComposite nanomaterials in field-deployable and cost-effective detection systems for crucial environmental and safety applications.

This study investigatedGold-titania TiO2 nanospheresNanospheres decorated with two types of Au nanostructures, nanospheresNanospheres and nanostarsNanostars, each with diameters of 20 and 50 nm to explore the impact of size and morphology along the UV–Vis spectrum. The results show that hybrid nanomaterials with identical dimensions, but different morphologies exhibit distinct functionalities, with variations in size significantly affecting their properties and performance. The physicochemical properties of gold (Au) nanostructures strongly depend on their size and morphology. NanostarsNanostars offered advantages over nanospheresNanospheres, including serving as hot spots for enhanced surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERSSERS) sensitivity. Additionally, stars have different crystallographic facets, making them useful for catalytic applications. The tunability of stars and spheres allows for the adjustment of photothermal properties due to localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), making them suitable for specific applications such as photothermal therapy and advanced energy-related technologies. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is renowned for its chemical stability, non-toxicity, and photocatalytic activity under UV light. These hybrid systems enhance performance in applications such as catalysis, sensing, and environmental pollutant capture. No ligand was used to deposit Au onto TiO2, simplifying the production process and increasing stability. Synthesis was achieved via solution chemistry, demonstrating its potential for large-scale production. This study highlights the critical aspect of creating tunableTunable nanostructures hybrid nanomaterials, emphasizing their impact on various applications and the importance of manipulating their properties for technological advancements.

Sustainable and cost-efficient adsorbents are crucial in environmental remediation, with biochar emerging as a promising material for such applications. This study evaluates the enhanced adsorption of trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE) from simulated groundwater representing the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Savannah River Site (SRS) using modified walnut shell biochars. Alkali intercalation and acid exfoliation (ICE) were applied to the 'native' walnut biochar to improve surface area and pore structure, enhancing its adsorption performance. Biochars were characterized using BET surface area analysis, SEM, FTIR, and EDS to assess changes in properties pre- and post-adsorption. ICE-modified biochar exhibited a significant increase in surface area to 1180 ± 40 m2/g, representing a 168% improvement over the unmodified walnut biochar (WN9) with a surface area of 440 ± 2 m2/g. Adsorption isotherm experiments showed ICE-modified biochar achieved substantially higher Freundlich adsorption capacities (Kf), with values of 65 (mg/g)/(mg/L)1/n for TCE and 134 (mg/g)/(mg/L)1/n for PCE. In contrast, the unmodified biochar exhibited a lower Kf of 15 for TCE, with no determinate capacity for PCE in both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. Adsorption performance over the 72 h reaction time showed that ICE-modified biochar achieved 85% removal of 100 mg/L TCE compared to 73% for unmodified biochar. Similarly, over the 72 h reaction time, the ICE biochar removed 95% of 100 mg/L PCE, while the unmodified biochar achieved only 46% removal, all at a 30 mg dosage. Therefore, modified walnut shell biochars showed enhanced TCE and PCE adsorption, indicating notable groundwater remediation potential.

MicroplasticsMicroplastic arePlastic widelyAdsorption recognizedMicroplastic as persistent pollutants in aquatic environments, but they also pose a secondary environmental threat by acting as carriers for other contaminantsContaminants carrier. Due to their large surface area, hydrophobicity, and surface aging in the environment, microplasticsMicroplastic can adsorb a variety of pollutants, including heavy metalsHeavy metals (Zn and Co), pharmaceuticals, and synthetic dyes such as methylene blueMethylene blue. This study investigates the adsorptionAdsorption of various contaminants onto microplasticsMicroplastic in water, which could affect their bioavailability and ecological impact. Understanding these interactions is critical for assessing the full scope of microplasticMicroplastic pollution and developing mitigation strategies.

The unforeseen consequences of the environmental release of potentially harmful and toxic waste chemicals and solvents used during manufacturing processes are often ignored. Nanotechnology offers technological advances in numerous areas, from medicine to engineering, and can be more environmentally friendly. This research study describes two different eco-friendly (“green”) routes to chemically create multifunctional nanomaterialsNanomaterials with tunable sizes, morphologies (hollow and solid), and compositions. We employed a citrate approach to generate solid nanospheres with well-defined compositions (Au, Ag, Pt, Pd), sizes (20–50 nm), and properties. Silver nanospheres were used as sacrificial templates for the production of hollow bimetallicBimetallic hollow nanoparticles Ag-Au, Ag-Pt, and Ag-Pd nanostructures. Materials were characterized by electron microscopy, UV–visible spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, dynamic light scattering, and zeta seizer to elucidate their properties. An added benefit of these technologies is that these processes are based on the use of a biodegradable reducing reagent, sodium citrate while maximizing the use of precursors.

Silver nanoparticlesNanoparticles have immense potential to enable new technologies across many biomedical fields, ranging from tracking and delivery of drugs, bio-imaging and bio-sensing, diagnosis and treatment, tissue engineering, and biomedical implants. Metallic nanomaterialsNanomaterials, particularly silver, have proven to exhibit antiviral activities against a broad spectrum of viruses. Silver nanoparticlesNanoparticles have been known for decades to display antiseptic characteristics, including antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties. They are efficient in wound management, various coatings for medical devices, and impregnating textile fabrics. We describe here a scalable approach to create high-performance nanoparticleNanoparticles-mediated surfaces that could potentially modulate and deactivate microbial contaminants, therefore eliminating the spread of diseaseBio-medical devices.

NanomaterialsNanomaterials have received widespread attention for environmental stewardship and remediation applications. The high surface area to volume ratio along with a large fraction of atoms available for reaction at the particle’s surface makes nanoparticlesNanoparticles advantageous as sequestration agents. This study shows a straightforward nanoscale technology for the apprehension of heavy metalHeavy metals contaminants from aqueous environments. We demonstrate that the fabrication of stainless-steel wool filtersFilters (SSWF) engineered with gold nanoparticlesNanoparticles that impart enhanced reactivity toward metal ion contaminants sequestration when compared with the unreactive and inefficient SSWF. It was found that the citrate-capped gold nanoparticlesNanoparticles (AuNPs) engineered SSWF capture cobalt metal ions from contaminated water resources while the untreated SSWF did not. An analyte-mediated colorimetric sensorColorimetric sensor that exploits plasmonic resonances of AuNPs for cobaltCobalt contaminants ion contaminants was also demonstrated. An added benefit of the stainless-steel filtersFilters is that they can be used in challenging environments (i.e., high/low pH, temperature, ionic strength) and are versatile, durable, easily reused, and can be re-engineered. SSW filtersFilters can be engineered with nanoscale materials of various sizes, shapes, and compositions that can be easily tailored for selectivity and specificity therefore providing custom-made filtration capability and efficiency.

One method for denitration of nitric acid used in nuclear facilities is to use formic acid as a reductant. The major problem with formic acid denitration is an induction period of varying duration that may result in excessive accumulation of formic acid at the reaction onset. This accumulation poses an off-gas process control issue. In this paper, we will describe the use of titania-based photocatalystsPhotocatalysts for the treatment of nitric acid and nitrateNitrate wastesWaste. We find that the photocatalytic process is a simple and straightforward method to completely destroy nitrateNitrate ions at room temperature without any initiation period.

The half-lives of radionuclidesRadionuclides range from fractions of a second to billions of years. Since no practical method of altering radioactive decay exists, and since exposure to either the energy emitted from radioactive decay or chemical properties of radionuclidesRadionuclides poses dire health risks, radioactive materials must be segregated and controlled. The capture, treatment, and disposition of radioactive materials remain an extraordinary challenge. In here, we focus our attention on the synthesis and characterization of a unique class of nanocompositeNanocomposite materials that have potential for removal of radionuclideRadionuclides contamination. Specifically, we report a simple approach to decorate the surface of iron-based (Fe/FexOy) material with various nano-catalysts. Specifically, copper (Cu), tin (Sn), and silver (Ag) nanoparticlesNanoparticles were prepared through two different reduction approaches, namely, citrate and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) methods, on the iron-based material surface. All samples were characterized by a variety of analytical tools, which included scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron-dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDS), and EDS mapping to elucidate materials’ morphology as well as nano-catalysts’ loading and location on the iron-based structures.

Cost-effective and eco-friendly adsorbents are essential in environmental engineering and biochar is a promising material from the perspective. A novel and efficient surface modification approach involving alkali intercalation and acid exfoliation was designed in this study to enhance the physicochemical properties of biochar. The alkali intercalation process utilizes potassium hydroxide (KOH), while acid exfoliation involves varying HNO3, H2SO4, and H3PO4 concentrations. A simple two-stage pyrolysis process was employed to facilitate the intercalation-exfoliation modification. The modified biochars were characterized using BET, SEM, XRD, etc., to understand physicochemical properties. To quantify the effectiveness of the modifications, adsorption of malachite green dye as a model moiety was investigated. Dye removal sorption rates exceeding 99 % were recorded in the case of the biochars modified through a two-step process using KOH and 0.1MH(3)PO(4). Specifically, the highest contaminant removal of 99.9 % was recorded when 60 mg of the KOH-0.1MH(3)PO(4) biochar was employed, which is significantly higher than unmodified biochar's 45.41 % removal at a higher dosage of 100 mg. Moreover, the adsorption kinetics revealed that all the modified biochars attained the maximum removal concentrations (similar to 99 % removal) in a mere 300 min, indicating a tenfold improvement in adsorption rate from unmodified biochar's requirement of over 5000 min. The results achieved through this study provide a cost-effective, fast, and environment-friendly technology for enhancing the adsorption characteristics and performance of biochars toward contaminant removal.

A comprehensive review on SERS and imprinted polymer platforms in mercury detection, and a perspective on integrating the two for an improved analytical method.

Extensive research in recent years has explored the realm of porous carbon composites for various applications, including electrochemistry, structural materials, environmental remediation, and more. In particular, the fabrication of porous carbon composites using a metal-organic framework (MOF) and biochar (BC) for aqueous remediation is a fairly new avenue of research. In this study, a MOF-BC composite was synthesized with unmodified and chemically modified BCs using solvothermal synthesis. The composites were used as adsorbents to remediate heavy metals, such as lead (II) and chromium (VI), from aqueous environments. It was verified that the MOF was homogeneously deposited onto the BC's surface using various material characterization techniques. Lead and chromium adsorption studies revealed a high adsorption capacity with greater than 99% removal for lead and ∼65% for chromium, respectively. Impressively, for lead, the highest observed experimental adsorption capacity of the MOF-chemically modified BC composite was 535 mg/g, compared to 240 mg/g for pristine BC. Meanwhile, the adsorption capacity of the same MOF-BC composite for chromium ions was low at 18 mg/g, compared to 80 mg/g for the chemically modified BC. The MOF-BC had a rapid adsorption rate, achieving equilibrium at only 150 min of reaction time for lead ions. MOF-BCs have higher adsorption for cationic lead through physisorption and ion-exchange mechanisms, whereas, for anionic chromium, removal is dominated only by physisorption mechanisms. The outcomes and methodological developments attained in this study offer a novel and compelling approach for synthesizing MOF-BC composites for aqueous remediation applications.

Additive ManufacturingAdditive manufacturing (AM), or 3D printing, is a unique technology in which structurally complex objects can be easily manufactured. While AM allows for the creation of intricate 3D objects, these objects are inactive and motionless. With recent incorporation of a “pre-programmed functionality” into the 3D printed objects, a new concept has emerged, 4D printing. In this context, the pre-programmed functionality refers to the materials that have properties related to their electrical, magnetic, optical properties, etc., that can be manipulated in predictable ways by application of external stimuli. Therefore, the 4D printing technology enables a static 3D printed object to change its shape, functionality, or property over time upon exposure to specific stimuli such as heat, stress, light, pH, moisture, etc. We describe a variety of functional compositeComposites (4D) materials developed for incorporation in hydrogen storage-based applications.

Hybrid nanoparticles composed of gold nanoparticles and carbon nanodots provide great signal amplification in SERS detection of herbicide molecules.

This research describes a straightforward approach to producing surface-engineered nanomaterialsNanomaterials for the detection and mitigation of radionuclides generated in nuclear facilities. A micelle forming surfactant ligand, namely cetyltrimethylammonium bromideCetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) (CTAB), was engineered on the surface of iron oxideIron oxide nanoparticles and explored for the removal of radioactive materials, such as pertechnetate (TcO4−), from aqueous environments. A series of analytical tools were employed to characterize the nanocomposite materials, such as SEM, EDS, UV-Vis spectroscopy, DLS, and PALS, and evaluated for their ability to capture a model analyte, perrhenate (ReO4−) ions. The iron oxideIron oxide magnetic nanoparticles retain their magnetic properties after surface functionalization and can be easily manipulated and collected with a magnet. Therefore, these nanocomposite materials can be used to remotely remediate environments by scavenging and collecting radionuclide species at the desired location.

DecarbonizationDecarbonization is demonstrated by catalytic conversion of CO2 to fuel by means of exposure of cadmium selenide (CdSe) quantumCadmium selenide-titania nanocatalysts dots-titania (TiO2) nanophotocatalystsNano-photocatalysts to sunlight illumination. The primary products resulted from this chemical reactions are methanol, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen after several hours of exposure to sun light. The overall CO2 conversionCO conversion efficiency of such quantum dot-titania nanostructures was compared with that of pure TiO2 nanorod array photocatalyst. Data shows an improved conversion efficiency when composite quantum dot-titania nanostructures were used in comparison with titania nanophotocatalystsNano-photocatalysts. It is postulated that this is due to the additional absorbance of visible light by the quantum dots and generation of additional charge separation at the CdSe-TiO2 interfaces. The conversion efficiency of such an artificial photosynthesis process remains to be optimized for practical applications.

Monitoring the level of contaminants in aquatic environment is critical for the protection of both human health and ecosystem function. Remediation and management of contaminated sites is often technically difficult and costly when there are large volumes of contaminated material. We developed a novel in situ detection and remediation capability able to acquire, display, and disseminate real-time pollution data. Specifically, we designed and created metal matrix hybrid composite comprised of (a) iron oxide (Fe2O3), (b) iron oxide–silica (Fe2O3/SiO2), (c) iron oxide–silica–titania (Fe2O3/SiO2/TiO2), and (d) iron oxide–silica–titania–gold (Fe2O3/SiO2/TiO2/Au) nanoparticles that are effective, environmentally friendly and can be readily deployed at various contaminated sites for monitoring water polluted organic contaminants.