Water splitting has gained significant attention as a means to produce clean and sustainable hydrogen fuel through the electrochemical or photoelectrochemical decomposition of water. Efficient and cost-effective water splitting requires the development of highly active and stable catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Carbon nanomaterials, including carbon nanotubes, graphene, and carbon nanofibers, etc., have emerged as promising candidates for catalyzing these reactions due to their unique properties, such as high surface area, excellent electrical conductivity, and chemical stability. This review article provides an overview of recent advancements in the utilization of carbon nanomaterials as catalysts or catalyst supports for the OER and HER in water splitting. It discusses various strategies employed to enhance the catalytic activity and stability of carbon nanomaterials, such as surface functionalization, hybridization with other active materials, and optimization of nanostructure and morphology. The influence of carbon nanomaterial properties, such as defect density, doping, and surface chemistry, on electrochemical performance is also explored. Furthermore, the article highlights the challenges and opportunities in the field, including scalability, long-term stability, and integration of carbon nanomaterials into practical water splitting devices. Overall, carbon nanomaterials show great potential for advancing the field of water splitting and enabling the realization of efficient and sustainable hydrogen production.
Alfalfa is considered the most used forage crop in the world, its main use is for cattle feeding, due to its high nutritional value, specifically in protein and digestible fiber. Currently, the trend in agriculture is to reduce the application of chemicals and among them are fertilizers that pollute soil and water, so the adoption of new technologies and other not so new is becoming a good habit among farmers. Nanotechnology in the plant system allows the development of new fertilizers to improve agricultural productivity and the release of mineral nutrients in nanoforms, which has a wide variety of benefits, including the timing and direct release of nutrients, as well as synchronizing or specifying the environmental response. Biofertilizers are important components of integrated nutrient management and play a key role in soil productivity and sustainability. While protecting the environment, they are a cost-effective, environmentally friendly and renewable source of plant nutrients to supplement chemical fertilizers in the sustainable agricultural system. Nanotechnology and biofertilization allow in a practical way the reduction in the application of chemicals, contributing to the sustainability of agriculture, so this work aims to review the relevant results on biofertilization, the use of nanotechnology and the evaluation of the nutritional composition of alfalfa when grown with the application of biofertilizers.
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