Tunable 2D Nanomaterials; Their Key Roles and Mechanisms in Water Purification and Monitoring

Abstract

Water supplies around the world are currently heavily polluted by heavy-metal chemicals, synthetic dyes, and other toxic pollutants released by major factories rather than typical household waste. This pollution necessitates adequate monitoring to protect natural water sources. There are various wastewater treatment methods available, including nanotechnology, i.e., two dimensional (2D) nanomaterials. Rising 2D nanomaterials including graphene, g-C3N4, MoS2, MXene, black phosphorus, and h-BN have exhibited an unparalleled surface-to-volume ratio, promising ultralow usage of material, ultrafast handling time, and ultrahigh treatment performance for cleaning, and monitoring of water. We provide a current overview of tunable 2D nanomaterials and their uses in water management. A brief description of 2D nanomaterials, their types, synthesis strategies and salient features involved in water management is provided. Furthermore, application of 2D nanomaterial in different processes of water treatment such as pollutants adsorption, filtration, disinfection, photocatalysis are discussed in detail. Likewise, the potential of 2D nanomaterials to be used in water quality monitoring gadgets like fluorescent sensors, colorimetric sensors, electrochemical sensors, and field-effect transistors are also explored. The study ends with a look at the current problems, limitations and future prospectus associated with the use of 2D material in water management. The importance of clean and fresh water to upcoming generations will bring new light and innovations to this emerging sector, allowing it to improve the quality and accessibility of water treatment while also ensuring global water supplies in an increasing part of the world.

A Review on Low-Dimensional Nanomaterials: Nanofabrication, Characterization and Applications

“…The award of the Nobel Prize for groundbreaking experiments involving 2D graphene in 2010 drastically brought the attention of the public and professionals to the fields of nanomaterials and nanotechnology [ 29 ]. 2D nanomaterials are made up of atomic-layer-thick planar structures with each plane bonded to one another by weak van der Waals forces [ 30 ]. The excellent mechanical vigor and pliability of 2D nanomaterials are due to the presence of robust in-plane covalent bond and small atomic thickness [ 31 ].…”

Recent Progress on Synthesis and Properties of Black Phosphorus and Phosphorene As New-Age Nanomaterials for Water Decontamination

“…Overall, the physicochemical properties of 2D nanomaterials result in extremely low material consumption, short processing times, and high process efficiencies. In addition, the controllable size, thickness, and nanostructure of 2D nanomaterials have led to the development of different applications for water/wastewater treatment by improving their catalytic, adsorptive, and separation performance. , Graphene and transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are the most studied 2D nanomaterials in the field of water/wastewater treatment. However, some limitations have been observed with their use, such as the zero-bandgap property of graphene or the low charge mobility of TMDs, resulting in lower-quality photocatalytic water/wastewater treatment, irreparable collection, and restacking tendency of graphene nanolayers to form graphite, leading to poor adsorption performance, and poor scalability in the manufacturing of membranes functionalized with TMDs and graphene …”

“…9,10 On the other hand, using 0D and 1D nanomaterials in water/wastewater treatment has some limitations due to their agglomeration and stability problems, resulting in manufacturing challenges and negative environmental impacts. 11 Moreover, since working at the nanoscale presents inherent challenges, the controlled separation, management, and characterization of 0D and 1D nanostructures are not simple procedures. These procedures need wellestablished methodologies due to their complexity, which are not yet completely developed.…”

“…For instance, 2D nanomaterials have been effectively used as electrochemical biosensors to detect important mutations in clinical samples of SARS-CoV-2 variants , and diagnose inherited diseases . The clustered, regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-based biosensors have been effectively performed for nucleic acid sequence detection as fast, portable, accurate, and sensitive biosensors. , On the other hand, using 0D and 1D nanomaterials in water/wastewater treatment has some limitations due to their agglomeration and stability problems, resulting in manufacturing challenges and negative environmental impacts . Moreover, since working at the nanoscale presents inherent challenges, the controlled separation, management, and characterization of 0D and 1D nanostructures are not simple procedures.…”

Layered double hydroxide/boron nitride nanocomposite membranes for efficient separation and photodegradation of water-soluble dyes

“…[15][16][17][18] Exceptional adsorption capacities can be achieved by 2D material-based membranes, due to their high surface-to-volume ratios, allowing more surface area for interaction with contaminants. 19 The stacking of nanosheets when forming membranes results in the formation of nano-porous channels, oen allowing for more rapid solvent transport and higher selectivity. 20 Our previous work demonstrated the potential of partially oxidised boron nitride (BNOx) as a nanomaterial for high-performance NF membranes.…”