Titanium Carbide‐Based Adsorbents for Removal of Heavy Metal Ions and Radionuclides: From Nanomaterials to 3D Architectures

Abstract

Heavy metal ions (HMIs) and radionuclides pose serious threats to food safety, human health, and marine ecosystems. Titanium carbides are advantageous owing to their good hydrophilicity, controllable surface charge, specific active groups, and high radiation stability, which make them effective candidates for removing toxic HMIs and radionuclides from wastewater. Recently, a lot of research is conducted to discover new methods for preparing functional titanium carbide composite materials to enhance the adsorption performance and overcome the shortcomings of conventional nanomaterials. Since 2011, the titanium carbide‐based adsorbents have undergone a developmental process from a single 2D nanosheet to a wide range of composite materials and 3D architectures. In this review, the development and progress in the design and synthesis methods of various titanium carbide‐based adsorbents are summarized. These methods are practical, scalable, and controllable in terms of structure and surface chemistry. The application of these surface‐modified composite materials in the adsorption of HMIs and radionuclides is also discussed, and the adsorption mass transfer mechanism of the adsorbates on titanium carbide‐based adsorbents is analyzed. Finally, the challenges and prospects of titanium carbide composite materials for future applications in the domain of metal ion adsorption are discussed.

Triptycene-Based Cationic Porous Organic Polymer for the Swift and Effective Removal of Organic and Inorganic Anionic Water Pollutants

“…Water may also be contaminated by radioactive species such as 99 TcO 4 – , 129 I – , 131 I – , 137 Cs + , and 90 Sr 2+ that have high solubility in water and usually originate from nuclear waste. , The generation and accidental release of volatile radionuclides (such as 85 Kr, 129 I, and 133 Xe) during the commercial/military use of nuclear energy are also major environmental concerns. − In addition, water is also polluted due to the presence of organic contaminants that include but are not restricted to organochlorine pesticides, synthetic detergents, and synthetic dyes that have detrimental effects on the health of humans. ,, These organic pollutants are also known to persist in the water bodies since these do not biodegrade in a short time span. , Therefore, the development of improved, rapid, effective, and economical methods to decontaminate organic/inorganic pollutants present in water remains a topic of intense scientific investigation globally. Among other means of water purification, the utilization of adsorption technology has gained widespread recognition and popularity due to its effectiveness in purifying environmental pollutants. , This process involves the use of materials with high and selective adsorption capacities for facile and economical removal of specific pollutants. , Ideal adsorbents must possess a range of desirable qualities such as affordability, high adsorption capacity, exceptional selectivity, and chemical/thermal stabilities that are coupled with scope for easy regeneration and reusability without any significant compromise in performance …”

Can MXene be the Effective Nanomaterial Family for the Membrane and Adsorption Technologies to Reach a Sustainable Green World?

“…Since the MXene nanomaterial family provides outstanding physicochemical and structural properties, it attracted considerable attention in different applications. Therefore, several critical reviews have been published dominantly focusing on its separation applications. ,,,,− However, most of them could not cover such a large number of separation applications and aimed to concentrate on specifically either the membrane ,− or adsorption ,− based separation processes. However, there are comprehensive review studies covering the potential of MXene membranes and adsorbents for a single separation application such as pervaporation, gas separation, − desalination, ,, dye removal, , oil-in-water separation, removal of heavy metal ions, and radionuclides. ,− On the other hand, few studies ,, aimed to highlight the effect of several strategies such as various surface modification approaches of MXene, intercalation methods to enhance interlayer distance of MXene nanochannels, etc.…”

“…The MXene family with their tremendous properties such as high surface area, hydrophilic manner, high metallic conductivity, active surface sides with tailorable functional groups, tunable interlayer spacing, and surface chemistry has been garnering increasing attention from several industries. MXene nanomaterials were practiced in widespread use in different applications such as energy storage, , supercapacitors, hydrogen storage, catalysis, ultrafast photonics, membrane-based separation technologies, − biomedical engineering, biosensors, , and memristive and tactile sensory systems . Unlocking the full potential of MXene has revealed the need for mass production.…”

Rapid and Efficient Removal of Diverse Anionic Water Contaminants Using a Guanidium-Based Ionic Covalent Organic Network (iCON)

“…Water is the universal essence of life and an imperative commodity capable of sustaining numerous generations of organisms. − A substantial percentage of the Earth’s surface is covered with water, which ensures the survival of various life forms residing on this planet. , While the brackish seawater provides a home to marine organisms, the freshwater reservoirs provide consumable water to terrestrial organisms. , Simultaneously, both water sources are extremely important to maintain a balance in the biosphere . However, the rapid industrialization in recent times, to satiate the demands of the inflating population, has led to significant exploitation of this crucial natural resource. − Therefore, the remediation of contaminated water has attracted worldwide attention .…”