Tailored functional materials as robust candidates to mitigate pesticides in aqueous matrices—a review

Pesticides are among the top-priority contaminants, which significantly contribute to environmental deterioration. Conventional techniques are not efficient enough to remove pollutants from environmental matrices. The development of functional materials has emerged as promising candidates to remove and degrade pesticides and related hazardous compounds. Furthermore, the nanohybrid materials with unique structural and functional characteristics, such as better material anchorage, mass transfer, electron-hole separation, and charged interaction make them a versatile option to treat and reduce pollutants from aqueous matrices. Herein, we present the current progress in the development of functional materials for the abatement of toxic pesticides. The physicochemical characteristics and pesticide-removal functionalities of various metallic functional materials (e.g., zirconium, zinc, titanium, tungsten, and iron), polymer, and carbon-based materials are critically discussed with suitable examples. Finally, the industrial-scale applications of the functional materials, concluding remarks, and future directions in this important arena are given.