Citation:

Wang, D., N. Saleh, W. Sun, C. Park, C. Shen, N. Aich, W. Peijnenburg, W. Zhang, Y. Jin, AND C. Su. Next-Generation Multifunctional Carbon-Metal Nanohybrids for Energy and Environmental Applications. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 53(13):7265-7287, (2019). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b01453

Impact/Purpose:

This review article presents the state-of-the-art promising applications of the next-generation of multifunctional carbon-metal nanohybrids (CMNHs) in energy, water, and environmental sectors. This review will help guide and shape future research directions for maximizing the benefits while minimizing potential adverse impacts of the next-generation multifunctional CMNHs at the energy-water-environment nexus and beyond.

Description:

Nanotechnology has unprecedentedly revolutionized human societies over the past decades and will continue to advance our broad societal goals in coming decades. The focus of research, development, and particularly application of engineered nanomaterials has already transformed from ‘low-performance’ single-component NMs toward ‘superior-performance’ of the next-generation multifunctional nanohybrids. Carbon (carbon nanotubes, graphene family nanomaterials, carbon dots, and graphitic carbon nitride) and metal/metal oxide (Ag, Au, CdS, Cu2O, MoS2, TiO2, and ZnO) combinations are the most commonly pursued nanohybrids (carbon-metal nanohybrids; CMNHs) that manifest appealing properties and promising multifunctionalities for addressing issues and challenges at the energy-water-environment (EWE) nexus. In this review, we first highlight the altered and newly-emerging properties (electronic and optical attributes, particle size, shape, morphology, crystallinity, dimensionality, carbon/metal ratio, and hybridization mode) of CMNHs that are distinct from those of their parent component materials. We then illustrate how these newly-emerging properties/functions of CMNHs shape their performances at the EWE nexus including energy harvesting, water treatment, and environmental remediation. This review concludes with critical identifications of key knowledge gaps and future research directions for maximizing the benefits while minimizing potential adverse impacts of the next-generation multifunctional CMNHs at the EWE nexus and beyond.

URLs/Downloads:

Record Details: