THE POTENTIAL OF NANOMATERIALS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS: HEALTH, ENERGY, AND CLEAN WATER
Three of the many problems often faced by developing countries are health and welfare issues, the availability of clean water and proper sanitation, and affordable clean energy. In fact, these three issues have been agreed upon by the United Nations to be handled jointly under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals or what are often referred to as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In order to achieve the seventeen SDGs points by 2030, partnerships between developing countries and developed countries are definitely an absolute requirement. However, initiatives from developing countries, especially from their scientists, are a critical factor in determining the success of these SDGs.
While delivering her inaugural speech as a professor at Universitas Indonesia (UI) (Wednesday, 14/12), Prof. Dr. Vivi Fauzia, S.Si., a lecturer of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA) UI, conveyed that the nanomaterial field that is being the basis of her research contributes to health sector, the availability of clean water, and renewable clean energy. The first nanomaterial developed by Prof. Vivi Fauzia in the laboratory of Physics UI is made from precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. These noble metals exhibit Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR) effects. LSPR is related to the increased intensity of absorption and scattering of light on the surface of nanoparticles metal, and depends on the size, shape, composition, space between nanoparticles, and also the dielectric properties of the surrounding medium. Experimental results in the laboratory confirm this; the addition of Au nanoparticles succeed in increasing light absorption, active material charge mobility, and exciton separation, which ultimately increased the efficiency of solar cells.
In the health sector, Prof. Vivi said the LSPR effect of Au nanoparticles can also be used to detect formaldehyde, or often called formalin, as a dangerous preservative in food. These Au nanoparticles are added to an optical sensor that works with a color change mechanism when interacting with formalin. The new optical biosensor design which is successfully made using Au nanoparticles, alcohol oxidase enzymes, and dyes, shows very good performance because the LSPR effect as a nanoantenna provides more light for color changes to occur.
“Another nanomaterial under study is the ZnO nanorods semiconductor, which is developed as a photocatalyst, namely a material that can increase the rate of chemical reactions with the help of light. Exposure to light produces ions which are very reactive, which can damage the dyes in wastewater polluted by dyes into a form that is colorless and harmless,” said Prof. Vivi, explaining her research related to the availability of clean water.
According to Prof. Vivi, another application of ZnO is as a photoanode in water-splitting systems to obtain the clean energy of hydrogen H2. This research supports the search for alternative materials in fuel exploration that are eco-friendly and commercially feasible. In the photoelectrochemical water splitting (PEC) method, the energy needed for water splitting is supplied by the abundant sunlight in Indonesia. Together with her students, Prof. Vivi Fauzia developed a ZnO/MoS2 heterostructure as a PEC photoanode through two MoS2 deposition methods. The first method using exfoliated commercial MoS2 powder shows that the addition of MoS2 resulted in a more than two-fold increase in efficiency. The second method through direct growth of MoS2 on top of ZnO using hydrothermal results is very profitable because a ZnO/ZnS/MoS2 ternary heterostructure is formed, which can increase efficiency up to six times.
Another application of MoS2 material is in photothermal systems to obtain clean water. This system is an innovation to conventional distillation technology which is inefficient due to the low evaporation rate. Users of photothermal materials, namely materials that can convert sunlight into heat, can increase the rate of evaporation of seawater or wastewater to obtain clean water according to standards set by WHO.
After delivering the speech, Rector of UI Prof. Ari Kuncoro, S.E., M.A., Ph.D., who chaired the open session of the inauguration of three professors of FMIPA UI, inaugurated Prof. Vivi as a tenured professor in the Field of Materials Science at the Department of Physics FMIPA UI. The event, which was broadcast virtually via UI and UI Teve Youtube channel, was attended by various invited guests, including Professors at University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Mat Saleh and Prof. Dr. Muhammad Yahaya; Professor of the Department of Physics of IPB University, Prof. Dr. Husin Alatas; President Commissioner of Citilink Indonesia Prof. Dr. Prasetio; and President Director of Citilink Indonesia Dewa Kadek Rai.
Currently, Prof. Vivi serves as Head of the Sub-Directorate for the Education Directorate Registration UI 2022-present. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Physics at Institut Teknologi Bandung in 1995. Then at the same university in 1997, she successfully completed her master’s degree in Physics. She also earned the title Doctor of Philosophy from Institute of Microengineering and Nanoelectronics, National University of Malaysia, in 2013.
Several titles of her latest scientific works have been published in reputable international journals, including Monitoring Shrimp Spoilage Using A Paper-based Colorimetric Label Containing Roselle Flower Extract (2022); One-Step Coating of a ZnS Nanoparticle/MoS2 Nanosheet Composite on Supported ZnO Nanorods as Anodes for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting (2022); Facile Photochemical Reduction Synthesis of Bimetallic Au and Pd Nanoparticles on ZnO Nanorods for Improved Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue (2022); Effect of Potassium Precursor Concentration on the Performance of Perovskite-sensitized Solar Cells (2022); and Nanoscale Metal Oxides–2D Materials Heterostructures for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting—A Review (2022).
