Functionalized nanomagnetic materials for environmental applications

The industrial, agricultural, and domestic activities of our everyday endeavors are polluting our environment. As such, a variety of nanomaterials have been synthesized and applied for the removal of environmental pollutants. Among these nanomaterials are nanomagnets, which are used in many applications for their magnetic behavior as well as their ease of recovery and reusability. However, nanomagnets become easily agglomerated, resulting in larger-sized materials with reduced reactivity. Functionalization or surface medication is one of the appropriate approaches to overcoming the problem of agglomeration. Functionalization hinders the attraction among the magnetic materials and prevents direct contact between them, thus preventing agglomeration. Significant research activities have been devoted to the functionalization of nanomagnets using diverse materials. This chapter discusses the various materials that have been utilized for functionalization of nanomagnets and the environmental remediation applications to which the modified materials have been applied.