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Continuous advancements in science and technology in the field of flexible devices encourage researchers to dedicate themselves to seeking candidates for new flexible transparent conductive films (FTCFs). Our recently developed two-dimensional (2D) metal aerogels are considered as a new class of FTCFs. Here, we describe a new large-scale self-assembly synthesis of bimetallic Pt-Ni 2D metal aerogels with controllable morphology during the synthesis. The obtained 2D aerogels require only a low quantity of precursors for the synthesis of percolating nanoscale networks with areas of up to 6 cm2 without the need of an additional drying step. Stacks of the obtained monolayer structures display low sheet resistances (down to 270 Ω/sq), while decreasing the optical transparency. In perspective, the 2D bimetallic Pt-Ni aerogels not only enrich the structural diversity of metal aerogels but also bring forth new materials for further applications in flexible electronics and electrocatalysis with reduced costs of production.

Ternary and quaternary colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) based on I−III−VI group semiconductors are promising low-toxic luminescent materials attracting huge interest as alternatives to cadmium- and lead-chalcogenide-based NCs. Despite significant progress in the synthesis of three-dimensionally confined quantum dots based on I−III−VI semiconductors with intensive photoluminescence (PL) in a broad spectral range, all attempts to prepare one-dimensionally confined nanoplatelets (NPLs) or nanosheets have resulted in rather nonemitting two-dimensional (2D) NCs. Since 2D NCs of the II−VI group exhibit unique anisotropic optical properties, exploring synthetic strategies to obtain 2D I−III−VI-based NPLs might also reveal interesting optical and electronic features. In this work, we demonstrate the synthesis of luminescent In-rich Cu−Zn−In−S (CZIS) NPLs using a one-pot approach. The synthesis includes the formation of Cu−In−S NPLs from In2S3 seeds, followed by the incorporation of zinc to form quaternary NPLs with improved stability and optical properties. The synthetic strategy implemented results in the formation of ∼1 nm thick NPLs with lateral sizes of ∼30 × 10 nm2 and a tetragonal crystal structure. As-synthesized NPLs are stable at ambient conditions and demonstrate PL in the range of 700−800 nm with a large Stokes shift. An additional shell of ZnS grown on CZIS NPLs resulted in the enhancement of their PL quantum yield reaching 29%.

The human-made pollution of surface and ground waters is becoming an inevitable and persistently urgent problem for humankind and life in general, as these pollutants are also distributed by their natural circulation. For example, from mining activities and metallurgy, toxic heavy metals pollute the environment and present material risk for human health and the environment. Bioadsorbers are an intriguing way to efficiently capture and eliminate these hazards, as they are environmentally friendly, cheap, abundant, and efficient. In this study, we present brewers’ spent grain (BSG) as an efficient adsorber for toxic heavy metal ions, based on the examples of iron, manganese, cadmium, and nickel ions. We uncover the adsorption properties of two different BSGs and investigate thoroughly their chemical and physical properties as well as their efficiency as adsorbers for simulated and real surface waters. As a result, we found that the adsorption behavior of BSG types differs despite almost identical chemistry. Elemental mapping reveals that all components of BSG contribute to the adsorption. Further, both types are not only able to purify water to reach acceptable levels of cleanness, but also yield outstanding adsorption performance for iron ions of 0.2 mmol/g and for manganese, cadmium, and nickel ions of 0.1 mmol/g.

The anisotropy in semiconductor nanoplatelets (NPLs) is reflected in the anisotropy of their crystal structure and organic ligand shell, which can be used for creating new semiconductor heterostructures. This work demonstrates the synthesis of core/shell NPLs containing zero-dimensional (0D) CdxHg1−xSe domains embedded in CdSe NPLs via cation exchange. The strategy is based on the different accessibility of definite regions of the NPLs for incoming cations upon time-limited reaction conditions. The obtained heterostructures were successfully overcoated with a CdyZn1−yS shell preserving their two-dimensional (2D) morphology. The NPLs exhibit bright photoluminescence in the range of 700−1100 nm with quantum yields up to 55%, thus making them a prospective material for light-emitting applications in the near-infrared spectral range.

Arsenic pollution in ground and drinking water is a major problem worldwide due to the natural abundance of arsenic by dissolution from ground sediment or mining activities from anthropogenic activities. To overcome this issue, iron oxides as low-cost and non-toxic materials, have been widely studied as efficient adsorbents for arsenic removal, including when dispersed within porous silica supports. In this study, two head-to-head comparisons were developed to highlight the As(V)-adsorptive ability of meso- and macrostructured silica-based adsorbents. First, the role of the textural properties of a meso-(SBA15) and macrostructured (MOSF) silica support in affecting the structural-morphological features and the adsorption capacity of the active phase (Fe2O3) have been studied. Secondly, a comparison of the arsenic removal ability of inorganic (Fe2O3) and organic (amino groups) active phases was carried out on SBA15. Finally, since silica supports are commonly proposed for both environmental and biomedical applications as active phase carriers, we have investigated secondary silicon and iron pollution. The batch tests at different pH revealed better performance from both Fe2O3-composites at pH 3. The values of qm of 7.9 mg g−1 (53 mg gact−1) and 5.5 mg g−1 (37 mg gact−1) were obtained for SBA15 and MOSF, respectively (gact stands for mass of the active phase). The results suggest that mesostructured materials are more suitable for dispersing active phases as adsorbents for water treatment, due to the obtainment of very small Fe2O3 NPs (about 5 nm). Besides studying the influence of the pore size of SBA15 and MOSF on the adsorption process, the impact of the functionalization was analyzed on SBA15 as the most promising sample for As(V)-removal. The amino-functionalized SBA15 adsorbent (3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, APTES) exhibited a qm of 12.4 mg g−1 and faster kinetics. Furthermore, issues associated with the release of iron and silicon during the sorption process, causing secondary pollution, were evaluated and critically discussed.

The separation of toxic pollutants such as Pb2+, Cd2+, and Al3+ from water is a constant challenge as contamination of natural water bodies is increasing. Al3+ and especially Pb2+ and Cd2+ are ecotoxic and highly toxic for humans, even in ppb concentrations, and therefore removal below a dangerous level is demanding. Herein, the potential adsorber material starch, being ecofriendly, cheap, and abundantly available, was investigated. Thus, four different native starch samples (potato, corn, waxy corn, and wheat starch) and two oxidized starches (oxidized potato and corn starch) were comprehensively analyzed with streaming potential and charge density measurements, SEM-EDX, ATR-FTIR, 1H-NMR, and TGA. Subsequently, the starch samples were tested for the adsorption of Pb2+, Cd2+, and Al3+ from the respective sulfate salt solution. The adsorption process was analyzed by ICP-OES and SEM-EDX, and the adsorption isotherms were fitted comparing Langmuir, Sips, and Dubinin-Radushkevich models. Oxidized starch, for which chemical modification is one of the simplest, and also native potato starch were excellent natural adsorber materials for Al3+, Cd2+, and especially Pb2+ in the low concentration range, exhibiting maximum adsorption capacities of 84, 71, and 104 µmol/g for oxidized potato starch, respectively.

Flocculation is still one of the most important and efficient processes for water treatment. However, most industrial processes, such as in water treatment plants, still use huge amounts of synthetic polyelectrolytes for the flocculation process. Here we compare the flocculation of two different suspended particles, i.e., silica particles and china clay, with the biopolymer chitosan and two common strong synthetic polyelectrolytes. As a flocculant, chitosan featured a minimum uptake rate of 0.05 mg/g for silica and 1.8 mg/g for china clay. Polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (PDADMAC) for comparison possessed a minimum uptake rate of 0.05 mg/g for silica and 2.2 mg/g for china clay. Chitosan as an environmentally friendly biopolymer competes with the synthetic polyelectrolytes and thus represents a beneficial economic alternative to synthetic flocculants.

We report a synthesis route to two-dimensional PbSe, HgSe, ZnSe, SnSe, and Cu-Zn-Sn-Se (CZTSe) nanomaterials based on cation exchange (CE) reactions. This approach includes two steps: it starts with the synthesis of hexagonal, up to several micrometers large yet approx. 5 nm-thick CuSe nanosheets (NSs), followed by CE of the host copper ions with the desired guest cation (Pb2+, Hg2+, Zn2+, or Sn4+). In the case of CZTSe, both guest cations can be added simultaneously since the variation of the guest cation ratio and reaction time can lead to various compositions. Mild reaction conditions allow for a preservation of the size and the 2D shape of the parent NSs accompanied by corresponding changes in their crystal structure. We furthermore demonstrate that the crystal structure of CuSe NSs can be rearranged even without addition of guest cations in the presence of tri-n-octylphosphine. Thus, the obtained NSs were further subjected to ligand exchange reactions in order to replace insulating bulky organic molecules on their surface with compact iodide and sulfide ions, a step crucial for the application of nanomaterials in (opto)electronic devices. The resulting NS dispersions were processed into thin films by spray-coating onto commercially available interdigitated platinum electrodes. Light response measurements of PbSe and CZTSe NS-films demonstrated their potential for applications as light-sensitive materials in photodetection or photovoltaics.

Advanced oxidation processes are the main way to remove persistent organic trace compounds from water. For these processes, heterogeneous Fenton catalysts with low iron leaching and high catalytic activity are required. Here, the preparation of such catalysts consisting of silica-supported iron oxide (Fe2O3/SiOx) embedded in thermoplastic polymers is presented. The iron oxide catalysts are prepared by a facile sol–gel procedure followed by thermal annealing (calcination). These materials are mixed in a melt compounding process with modified polypropylenes to stabilize the Fe2O3 catalytic centers and to further reduce the iron leaching. The catalytic activity of the composites is analyzed by means of the Reactive Black 5 (RB5) assay, as well as by the conversion of phenol which is used as an example of an organic trace compound. It is demonstrated that embedding of silica-supported iron oxide in modified polypropylene turns the reaction order from pseudo-first order (found for Fe2O3/SiOx catalysts), which represents a mainly homogeneous Fenton reaction, to pseudo-zeroth order in the polymer composites, indicating a mainly heterogeneous, surface-diffusion-controlled process.

Copper(II) as a heavy metal ion is posing risk to aquatic ecosystems including algae, fish, mollusks, and bacteria, negatively affecting human life because of bioaccumulation and non-biodegradability. In this study, two thermoresponsive PNIPAM-b-PAA block copolymers with different characteristics in terms of molecular weight and PAA composition were investigated to remove copper ions from simulated water. We chose to utilize those block copolymers in CuSO4 adsorption experiments in order to comprehend how the combination of the thermoresponsive PNIPAM block and the binding ability that PAA block offers, affects the adsorption of Cu2+ and SO42− and provides eventually their removal from aqueous solutions. The adsorption protocol includes simple mixing of the copolymer and CuSO4 aqueous solutions under stirring. Dynamic and electrophoretic light scattering, pH, UV–vis, turbidity and ICP-OES measurements were conducted to verify the PNIPAM-b-PAA ability as smart adsorbents. The results showed that the PNIPAM-b-PAA_50−50 sample offers the possibility of Cu2+ and SO42- adsorption of greater percentage especially when temperature increases to 60 °C. Therefore, PNIPAM-b-PAA block copolymers comprise efficient and smart Cu2+ and SO42- adsorbents.

Novel adsorbents based on chitosan and its derivatives are continuously developed to remove heavy metal ions and organic pollutants from contaminated waters. In this study, porous hydrogels based on chitosan functionalized with thiourea groups (CHITU) were prepared through cryogelation technique and were evaluated for the sorption of Cu2+, Cd2+, Co2+ and Ni2+ from simulated contaminated waters. The CHITU hydrogels were characterized by FTIR, NMR, SEM, EDX, TGA and rheology measurements, while their heavy metal ions sorption capacity was determined using ICP-OES. The maximum experimental adsorption capacities of CHITU hydrogels towards Cu2+, Cd2+, Co2+ and Ni2+ were 129.8 mg/g, 134 mg/g, 83.4 mg/g and 132.5 mg/g (experimental conditions: temperature = 25 °C, contact time =24 h and pH = 5), respectively. The fitting of equilibrium and kinetics sorption data with various empirical models gave evidence that the sorption process of all metal ions was best described by the Sips and pseudo-second order models, respectively. Reutilization of CHITU hydrogels in three consecutive sorption/desorption/regeneration cycles showed that they possess completely renewable sorption properties. In comparison with other literature available on CHI-based sorbents, the CHITU hydrogels designed herein have similar sorption properties for Cu2+, but superior sorption properties for Co2+, Cd2+ and Ni2+. Hence, they can be considered as promising matrices for the removal of various heavy metal ions from contaminated waters.