Advances in Applications of Functional Nanomaterials in Marine Environment Protection

With the development of human beings and the progress of science and technology, the marine environment has been seriously damaged, leading to frequent disasters and increased pollution, which is of great urgence to exploit novel technologies and materials for environmental protection. As the development of nanoscience and nanotechnology, various advanced functional nanomaterials have been applied in marine environment protection due to their unique surface/interface properties, such as pollutants removal, harmful microorganism killing, environment monitor and detection, and corrosion and biofouling control. Thus, the research of marine environment protection is a multi-discipline-crossing field, including chemistry, materials, environment, biology, ecology, and marine science. Monitoring and detecting the marine environment, such as environmental factors, functional molecules and hazardous substances, is considered as the initial issue to be solved when utilizing as well as protecting the ocean. Functional nanomaterials can be acted as the pivotal substrate material for various sensors in monitoring and detecting marine environment, which are emphasized in this topic.

In marine environment, a variety of hazardous substances including organic pollutants, heavy metal ions, toxins, emerging contaminants, and harmful microorganisms, strongly threaten the marine ecosystems and habitats. Advanced functional nanomaterials are proved to be highly efficient on removing these hazardous substances with the assistance of novel advanced oxidation and adsorption technologies. The latest progresses on removal technologies towards marine hazardous substances based on functional nanomaterials with remarkable performances are especially welcomed. When utilizing marine resources, marine corrosion is a naturally occurring phenomenon with costly and detrimental impact on most critical industry sectors. Novel functional nanomaterials show unexpected excellent anti-corrosion abilities when applied in marine environment, which attracted broad attention recently. Nanomaterial modified structural materials as well as protection technology based on nanotechnology are paid close attention in this topic. Biofouling, the settlement of organisms on marine man-made structures, is recognized as another natural damage occurred on marine constructions. Considering the toxicity of the traditional antifouling materials into account, advanced antifouling nanomaterials with green antifouling properties, such as catalytic materials and bionic interfaces, are expected to play a significant role in future research and applications.

Hence, this Research Topic aims to present recent progress on functional nanomaterials and their future research and application aspects in marine environment protection, covering the areas of mechanism, methodology, fabrication, new technology, property, and so on. We welcome high-quality Original Research Articles, Short Communications, Reviews, and Mini-reviews for this Research Topic. Potential themes for this Research Topic may include but not be limited to the following:
• Marine environmental pollutants removal;
• Marine harmful microorganism killing;
• Marine environmental factors, functional molecules and hazardous substances monitor and detection;
• Marine anti-corrosion materials and mechanism;
• Marine anti-bacterial and anti-biofouling materials and mechanism.

Keywords: functional nanomaterials, marine environment, anti-corrosion, anti-biofouling, sensor

Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.