Sustainable carbon nano-onions as an adsorbent for the efficient removal of oxo-anions

Current nanocomposite advances for biomedical and environmental application diversity

Nanocomposite materials are emerging as key players in addressing critical challenges in healthcare, energy storage, and environmental remediation. These innovative systems hold great promise in engineering effective solutions for complex problems. Nanocomposites have demonstrated various advantages such as simplicity, versatility, lightweight, and potential cost-effectiveness. By reinforcing synthetic and natural polymers with nanomaterials, a range of nanocomposites have exhibited unique physicochemical properties, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. Current research on nanocomposites has demonstrated promising clinical and translational applications. Over the past decade, the production of nanocomposites has emerged as a critical nano-structuring methodology due to their adaptability and controllable surface structure. This comprehensive review article systematically addresses two principal domains. A comprehensive survey of metallic and nonmetallic nanomaterials (nanofillers), elucidating their efficacy as reinforcing agents in polymeric matrices. Emphasis is placed on the methodical design and engineering principles governing the development of functional nanocomposites. Additionally, the review provides an exhaustive examination of recent noteworthy advancements in industrial, environmental, biomedical, and clinical applications within the realms of nanocomposite materials. Finally, the review concludes by highlighting the ongoing challenges facing nanocomposites in a wide range of applications.

New Zein Protein Composites with High Performance in Phosphate Removal, Intrinsic Antibacterial, and Drug Delivery Capabilities

Herein, poly(N-(4-aminophenyl)methacrylamide)-carbon nano-onions [abbreviated as PAPMA-CNOs (f-CNOs)] integrated gallic acid cross-linked zein composite fibers (ZG/f-CNOs) were developed for the removal/recovery of phosphate from wastewater along with controlled drug delivery and intrinsic antibacterial characteristics. The composite fibers were produced by Forcespinning followed by a heat-pressure technique. The obtained ZG/f-CNOs composite fibers presented several favorable characteristics of nanoadsorbents and drug carriers. The composite fibers exhibited excellent adsorption capabilities for phosphate ions. The adsorption assessment demonstrated that composite fibers process highly selective sequestration of phosphate ions from polluted water, even in the presence of competing anions. The ZG/f-CNOs composite fibers presented a maximum phosphate adsorption capacity (qmax) of 2500 mg/g at pH 7.0. This represents the most efficient phosphate adsorption system among all of the reported nanocomposites to date. The isotherm studies and adsorption kinetics of the adsorbent showed that the adsorption experiments followed the pseudo-second-order and Langmuir isotherm model (R2 = 0.9999). After 13 adsorption/desorption cycles, the adsorbent could still maintain its adsorption efficiency of 96-98% at pH 7.0 while maintaining stability under thermal and chemical conditions. The results mark significant progress in the design of composite fibers for removing phosphates from wastewater, potentially aiding in alleviating eutrophication effects. Owing to the f-CNOs incorporation, ZG/f-CNOs composite fibers exhibited controlled drug delivery. An antibiotic azithromycin drug-encapsulated composite fibers presented a pH-mediated drug release in a controlled manner over 18 days. Furthermore, the composite fibers displayed excellent antibacterial efficiency against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria without causing resistance. In addition, zein composite fibers showed augmented mechanical properties due to the presence of f-CNOs within the zein matrix. Nonetheless, the robust zein composite fibers with inherent stimuli-responsive drug delivery, antibacterial properties, and phosphate adsorption properties can be considered promising multifunctional composites for biomedical applications and environmental remediation.

Nitrogen-doped carbon nano-onions/polypyrrole nanocomposite based low-cost flexible sensor for room temperature ammonia detection

One of the frontier research areas in the field of gas sensing is high-performance room temperature-based novel sensing materials, and new family of low-cost and eco-friendly carbon nanomaterials with a unique structure has attracted significant attention. In this work, we propose a novel low-cost flexible room temperature ammonia gas sensor based on nitrogen-doped carbon nano-onions/polypyrrole (NCNO-PPy) composite material mounted low-cost membrane substrate was synthesized by combining hydrothermal and in-situ chemical polymerization methods. The proposed flexible sensor revealed high sensing performance when employed as the sensing material for ammonia detection at room temperature. The NCNO-PPy ammonia sensor exhibited 17.32% response for 100 ppm ammonia concentration with a low response time of 26 s. The NCNO-PPy based flexible sensor displays high selectivity, good repeatability, and long-term durability with 1 ppm as the lower detection limit. The proposed flexible sensor also demonstrated remarkable mechanical robustness under extreme bending conditions, i.e., up to 90° bending angle and 500 bending cycles. This enhanced sensing performance can be related to the potential bonding and synergistic interaction between nitrogen-doped CNOs and PPy, the formation of defects from nitrogen doping, and the presence of high reactive sites on the surface of NCNO-PPy composites. Additionally, the computational study was performed on optimized NCNO-PPy nanocomposite for both with and without NH3 interaction. A deeper understanding of the sensing phenomena was proposed by the computation of several electronic characteristics, such as band gap, electron affinity, and ionization potential, for the optimized composite.

Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of Novel Magnetic Nanoparticles Combined with Thiophene Derivatives for the Removal of Cr(VI) from an Aqueous Solution

Most heavy metals are harmful to human health and the environment, even at extremely low concentrations. In natural waters, they are usually found only in trace amounts. Researchers are paying great attention to nanotechnology and nanomaterials as viable solutions to the problem of water pollution. This research focuses on the synthesis of organic thiophene derivatives that can be used as grafted ligands on the surface of silica-coated iron oxide nanoparticles to remove Cr(VI) chromium ions from water. The Vilsmeier-Haack reaction allows the formation of aldehyde groups in thiophene derivatives, and the resulting products were characterized by the FT-IR, NMR, and GC-MS. Schiff base is used as a binder between organic compounds and nanoparticles by the reaction of aldehyde groups in thiophene derivatives and amine groups on the surface of coated iron oxide nanoparticles. Schiff base functionalized Fe3O4 composites (MNPs@SiO2-SB-THCA) and (MNPs@SiO2-SB-THCTA) were successfully synthesized by homogeneous and heterogeneous methods and characterized by a combination of FT-IR, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The adsorption studies, kinetic modeling, adsorption isotherms, and thermodynamics of the two materials, MNPs@SiO2-SB-THCA and MNPs@SiO2-SB-THCTA, were investigated for the removal of Cr(VI) from water at room temperature and at 50 mg/L. The high adsorption capacity at pH 6 for MNPs@SiO2-SB-THCTA was 15.53 mg/g, and for MNPs@SiO2-SB-THCA, it was 14.31 mg/g.

Unraveling the multifaceted mechanisms and untapped potential of activated carbon in remediation of emerging pollutants: A comprehensive review and critical appraisal of advanced techniques

The rapid global expansion of industrialization has resulted in the discharge of a diverse range of hazardous contaminants into the ecosystem, leading to extensive environmental contamination and posing a pressing ecological concern. In this context, activated carbon (AC) has emerged as a highly promising adsorbent, offering significant advantages over conventional forms. For instance, AC has demonstrated remarkable adsorption capabilities, as evidenced by the successful removal of atrazine and ibuprofen using KOH and KOH-CO2-activated char, achieving impressive adsorption rates of 90% and 95%, respectively, at an initial dosage of 10 mg L-1. Moreover, AC can effectively adsorb aromatic compounds through π-π stacking interactions. The aromatic rings in organic molecules can align and interact with the carbon atoms in AC's structure, leading to effective adsorption. In this review, by employing a systematic analysis of recent research findings (majorly from 2015 to 2023), an in-depth exploration of AC's evolution and its wide-ranging applications in adsorbing and remediating emerging pollutants, including dyes, organic contaminants, and hazardous gases and mitigating the adverse impacts of such emerging pollutants on ecosystems have been discussed. It serves as a valuable resource for researchers, professionals, and policymakers involved in environmental remediation and pollution control, facilitating the development of sustainable and effective strategies for mitigating the global impact of emerging pollutants.

Sulphonated poly(ethersulfone)/carbon nano-onions-based nanocomposite membranes with high ion-conducting channels for salt removal via electrodialysis

Herein, we are reporting the carbon nano onions (CNO)-based sulphonated poly(ethersulfone) (SPES) composite membranes by varying CNO content in SPES matrix for water desalination applications. CNOs were cost-effectively synthesized using flaxseed oil as a carbon source in an energy efficient flame pyrolysis process. The physico- and electrochemical properties of nanocomposite membranes were evaluated and compared to pristine SPES. Moreover, the chemical characterisation of composite membranes and CNOs were illustrated using techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and universal tensile machine (UTM). In the series of nanocomposite membranes, SPES-0.25 composite membrane displayed the highest water uptake (WU), ion exchange membrane (IEC) and ionic conductivity (IC) values that were enhanced by 9.25%, ~ 44.78% and ~ 6.10%, respectively, compared to pristine SPES membrane. The electrodialytic performance can be achieved maximum when membranes possess low power consumption (PC) and high energy efficiency (Ee). Therefore, the value of Ee and Pc for SPES-0.25 membrane has been determined to be 99.01 ± 0.97% and 0.92 ± 0.01 kWh kg-1, which are 1.12 and 1.11 times higher than the pristine SPES membrane. Hence, integrating CNO nanoparticles into the SPES matrix enhanced the ion-conducting channels.

Biomass-derived carbon nano-onions for the effective elimination of organic pollutants and oils from water

Oil spillage and leakage of organic solvents have caused severe environmental and ecological damages. It is of great significance to develop a cost-efficient and green adsorbent material with high uptake efficiency to separate the oil-water mixture. In this work, biomass-derived CNOs were first time explored in the adsorption of organic pollutants and oils from water. Carbon nano-onions (CNOs) with hydrophobicity and oleophilicity were cost-effectively synthesized in an energy efficient flame pyrolysis process using flaxseed oil as a carbon source. The as-synthesized CNOs without any further surface modification have shown high adsorption efficiency in removing organic solvents and oils from the oil-water mixture. The CNOs could adsorb diverse organic solvents such as pyridine (36.81 mg g^-1), dichloromethane (90.95 mg mg^-1), aniline (76 mg mg^-1), toluene (64 mg mg^-1), chloroform (36.25 mg mg^-1), methanol (49.25 mg mg^-1), and ethanol (42.25 mg mg^-1). The uptake capacity for petrol and diesel over CNOs was observed at 36.68 mg mg^-1 and 58.1 mg mg^-1, respectively. The adsorption of pyridine followed pseudo-second-order kinetics and Langmuir's isotherm model. Moreover, the adsorption efficiency of CNOs towards the remediation of pyridine was almost similar in real-water samples when tested in tap water, dam water, groundwater, and lake water. Similarly, the practical applicability for the separation of petrol and diesel was also verified in the real sample (sea water) and has been proven to be excellent. By simple evaporation, the recovered CNOs can be reused for more than 5 cycles. CNOs exhibit the promising potential to be used in practical applications for oil-polluted water treatment.

Utilization of metal industry solid waste as an adsorbent for adsorption of anionic and cationic dyes from aqueous solution through the batch and continuous study

Industrial waste, for instance, textile effluents when released into the ecological system without first being treated or with inappropriate levels of treatment, can lead to serious issues deteriorating the environment and human health. Moreover, solid waste from various industries has also become a major issue due to massive urbanization. For instance, the waste from the metal industry has been rapidly increasing such as Jarosite which has various metals, metal oxides, and silica in its composition. Therefore, Jarosite was utilized as an adsorbent for the adsorption of anionic Congo red (CR) and cationic Methylene blue (MB) dyes from aqueous solutions. The processed adsorbent sample was characterized by BET, XRD, SEM, EDS, FTIR, and XPS techniques. The effects of initial dye concentration, pH, adsorbent dose, temperature, and contact time were examined. The metal industry waste is used as a low-cost abundant adsorbent with great potential for adsorption ability to remove the CR (97.5%) and MB (68.5%) at pH 7, contact time 90 min, adsorbent dose 0.1 g, and initial dye concentration 50 mg/L. The adsorption data followed the adsorption isotherm and Kinetics for both dyes. The removal of both dyes was a physical adsorption process, endothermic and spontaneous reaction. Column adsorption investigation was described by AB (Adams-Bohart) and YN (Yoon-Nelson) models. According to the economic view, the utilization of jarosite for dye removal is a cost-effective approach, because it is collected free of cost from industries. Henceforth, for the first time, toxic metal industry waste was successfully utilized as an adsorbent for wastewater treatment.

Preparation of a Highly Sensitive Electrochemical Aptasensor for Measuring Epirubicin Based on a Gold Electrode Boosted with Carbon Nano-Onions and MB

Epirubicin is prescribed as an essential drug for treating breast, prostate, uterine, and gastrointestinal cancers. It has many side effects, such as heart failure, mouth inflammation, abdominal pain, fever, and shortness of breath. Its measurement is necessary by straightforward and cheap methods. The application of aptamer-based electrochemical sensors is accounted as a selective option for measuring different compounds. In this work, a thiol-modified aptamer was self-assembled on the surface of the gold electrode (AuE) boosted with carbon nano-onions (CNOs), and coupled with methylene blue (MB) as an electroactive tracker to achieve a sensitive and selective aptasensor. In the absence of the epirubicin, CNOs binds to the aptamer through a π-π interaction enhancing the MB electrochemical signal. When epirubicin binds to the aptamer, the adsorption of CNOs and MB to the aptamer is not well established, so the electrochemical signal is reduced, consequently, the epirubicin value can be measured. The prepared aptasensor demonstrated an excellent sensitivity with a curve slope of 0.36 μI/nM, and 3 nM limit of detection in the linear concentration range of 1-75 nM. The prepared aptasensor was accurately capable of measuring epirubicin in blood serum samples.