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Mardani H, Mehrbakhsh S, Sheikhzadegan S, Babazadeh-Mamaqani M, Roghani-Mamaqani H. Colloidal Polymer Nanoparticles as Smart Inks for Authentication and Indication of Latent Fingerprints and Scratch. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024; 16:1605-1615. [PMID: 38150585 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c16574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
An environmentally friendly smart ink was developed by incorporating fluorescein into functionalized poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) nanoparticles synthesized using an emulsifier-free emulsion copolymerization approach. The functional comonomers of 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA), acrylamide, hydroxyethyl methacrylate, and glycidyl methacrylate in 10 wt % with respect to methyl methacrylate were used to obtain the functionalized colloidal PMMA nanoparticles. Functional groups of the latex nanoparticles were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Field emission scanning electron microscopy results showed that all of the latex nanoparticles have nearly spherical morphologies with variations in size and surface smoothness due to the presence of different comonomers. Ultraviolet-visible and fluorescence spectra indicated that the fluorescein-doped latex nanoparticles containing the DMAEMA comonomer had the highest absorbance and fluorescence intensity. In the alkaline media, fluorescein turns to a dianion, showing a red shift and increased absorbance in the UV-vis spectroscopy. In addition, the electron inductive characteristics of the tertiary amine groups result in enhancing the conjugation of fluorescein molecules and increasing the fluorescence intensities. Therefore, the colloidal nanoparticles with amine functional groups were used in the formulation of a smart ink with applications in securing documents and fingerprints, encrypting banknotes and money, detecting latent fingerprints, crafting anticounterfeiting paper, and eventually providing optical detection and indication of surface scratches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanieh Mardani
- Faculty of Polymer Engineering, Sahand University of Technology, P.O. Box, Tabriz 51335-1996, Iran
| | - Sana Mehrbakhsh
- Faculty of Polymer Engineering, Sahand University of Technology, P.O. Box, Tabriz 51335-1996, Iran
| | - Sina Sheikhzadegan
- Faculty of Polymer Engineering, Sahand University of Technology, P.O. Box, Tabriz 51335-1996, Iran
| | - Milad Babazadeh-Mamaqani
- Faculty of Polymer Engineering, Sahand University of Technology, P.O. Box, Tabriz 51335-1996, Iran
| | - Hossein Roghani-Mamaqani
- Faculty of Polymer Engineering, Sahand University of Technology, P.O. Box, Tabriz 51335-1996, Iran
- Institute of Polymeric Materials, Sahand University of Technology, P.O. Box, Tabriz 51335-1996, Iran
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Peeters H, Lenaerts S, Verbruggen SW. Benchmarking the Photocatalytic Self-Cleaning Activity of Industrial and Experimental Materials with ISO 27448:2009. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 16:1119. [PMID: 36770132 PMCID: PMC9919847 DOI: 10.3390/ma16031119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Various industrial surface materials are tested for their photocatalytic self-cleaning activity by performing the ISO 27448:2009 method. The samples are pre-activated by UV irradiation, fouled with oleic acid and irradiated by UV light. The degradation of oleic acid over time is monitored by taking water contact angle measurements using a contact angle goniometer. The foulant, oleic acid, is an organic acid that makes the surface more hydrophobic. The water contact angle will thus decrease over time as the photocatalytic material degrades the oleic acid. In this study, we argue that the use of this method is strongly limited to specific types of surface materials, i.e., only those that are hydrophilic and smooth in nature. For more hydrophobic materials, the difference in the water contact angles of a clean surface and a fouled surface is not measurable. Therefore, the photocatalytic self-cleaning activity cannot be established experimentally. Another type of material that cannot be tested by this standard are rough surfaces. For rough surfaces, the water contact angle cannot be measured accurately using a contact angle goniometer as prescribed by the standard. Because of these limitations, many potentially interesting industrial substrates cannot be evaluated. Smooth samples that were treated with an in-house developed hydrophilic titania thin film (PCT/EP2018/079983) showed a great photocatalytic self-cleaning performance according to the ISO standard. Apart from discussing the pros and cons of the current ISO standard, we also stress how to carefully interpret the results and suggest alternative testing solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannelore Peeters
- Sustainable Energy, Air & Water Technology (DuEL), Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
- NANOlab Center of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Silvia Lenaerts
- Sustainable Energy, Air & Water Technology (DuEL), Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
- NANOlab Center of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Sammy W. Verbruggen
- Sustainable Energy, Air & Water Technology (DuEL), Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
- NANOlab Center of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
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Rabeel M, Javed S, Khan R, Akram MA, Rehman S, Kim DK, Khan MF. Controlling the Wettability of ZnO Thin Films by Spray Pyrolysis for Photocatalytic Applications. MATERIALS 2022; 15:ma15093364. [PMID: 35591700 PMCID: PMC9105918 DOI: 10.3390/ma15093364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
Herein, we synthesized the zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films (TFs) deposited on glass substrates via spray pyrolysis (SP) to prepare self-cleaning glass. Various process parameters were used to optimize photocatalytic performance. Substrates were coated at room temperature (RT) and 250 °C with a 1 mL or 2 mL ZnO solution while maintaining a distance from the spray gun to the substrate of 20 cm or 30 cm. Several characterization techniques, i.e., XRD, SEM, AFM, and UV–Vis were used to determine the structural, morphological, and optical characteristics of the prepared samples. The wettability of the samples was evaluated using contact angle measurements. As ZnO is hydrophilic in nature, the RT deposited samples showed a hydrophilic character, whereas the ZnO TFs deposited at 250 °C demonstrated a hydrophobic character. The XRD results showed a higher degree of crystallinity for samples deposited on heated substrates. Because of this higher crystallinity, the surface energy decreased, and the contact angle increased. Moreover, by using 2 mL solution, better surface coverage and roughness were obtained for the ZnO TFs. However, by exploiting the distance of the spray to the samples size distribution and surface coverage can be controlled, the samples deposited at 30 mL showed a uniform particle size distribution from 30–40 nm. In addition, the photoactivity of the samples was tested by the degradation of rhodamine B dye. Substrates prepared with a 2 mL solution sprayed at 20 cm showed higher dye degradation than other samples, which can play a vital role in self-cleaning. Hence, by changing the said parameters, the ZnO thin film properties on glass substrates were optimized for self-cleaning diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Rabeel
- Nanomaterials Synthesis Laboratory, School of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National University of Sciences and Technology, H-12, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan; (M.R.); (R.K.); (M.A.A.)
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Sejong University, 209 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05006, Korea;
| | - Sofia Javed
- Nanomaterials Synthesis Laboratory, School of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National University of Sciences and Technology, H-12, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan; (M.R.); (R.K.); (M.A.A.)
- Correspondence: (S.J.); (D.-k.K.); (M.F.K.)
| | - Ramsha Khan
- Nanomaterials Synthesis Laboratory, School of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National University of Sciences and Technology, H-12, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan; (M.R.); (R.K.); (M.A.A.)
| | - Muhammad Aftab Akram
- Nanomaterials Synthesis Laboratory, School of Chemical and Materials Engineering, National University of Sciences and Technology, H-12, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan; (M.R.); (R.K.); (M.A.A.)
| | - Shania Rehman
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Sejong University, 209 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05006, Korea;
| | - Deok-kee Kim
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Sejong University, 209 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05006, Korea;
- Correspondence: (S.J.); (D.-k.K.); (M.F.K.)
| | - Muhammad Farooq Khan
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Sejong University, 209 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 05006, Korea;
- Correspondence: (S.J.); (D.-k.K.); (M.F.K.)
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Han R, Andrews R, O’Rourke C, Hodgen S, Mills A. Photocatalytic air purification: Effect of HNO3 accumulation on NOx and VOC removal. Catal Today 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2021.04.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Basso A, Battisti AP, Moreira RDFPM, José HJ. Photocatalytic effect of addition of TiO 2 to acrylic-based paint for passive toluene degradation. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY 2020; 41:1568-1579. [PMID: 30372665 DOI: 10.1080/09593330.2018.1542034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2018] [Accepted: 10/23/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are known to be hazardous and associated with several human health problems. Thus, many technologies have been developed in recent years for their removal, such as thermal catalysis, photocatalysis and ozonization. In this study, the main objective was to evaluate the effects of incorporating titanium dioxide into an acrylic-based paint for gaseous toluene abatement. Paints with photocatalytic properties were prepared by adding TiO2 P25 powder to an acrylic-based paint, using the following proportions: 0, 10, 15, 20 and 50 wt% (dry basis). Toluene and CO2 concentrations at the reactor input and output were determined using GC/MS, and GC/FID, respectively, and the toluene conversion and CO2 formation were assessed. The compounds adsorbed onto photocatalytic paints were extracted and then identified by GC/MS. The results indicated that the addition of 50 wt% of TiO2 P25 results in a paint of reduced quality. The addition of 20 wt% of TiO2 P25 to the paint led to higher values for the photocatalytic conversion of toluene to CO2. The occurrence of two simultaneous processes was observed: the photocatalytic oxidation of toluene to CO2 and the self-degradation of the organic compounds, such as polymeric acrylic, in the paint. The adsorption of different compounds onto the photocatalytic paints was identified by GC/MS analysis. The use of photocatalytic paints is a promising technique for toluene abatement, but it requires further study and improvement particularly with regard to the effects of the self-degradation of the paint.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Basso
- Department of Chemical and Food Engineering (EQA), Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Andrei Pavei Battisti
- Department of Chemical and Food Engineering (EQA), Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | | | - Humberto Jorge José
- Department of Chemical and Food Engineering (EQA), Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
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Photocatalytic and Photostability Behavior of Ag- and/or Al-Doped ZnO Films in Methylene Blue and Rhodamine B Under UV-C Irradiation. COATINGS 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/coatings9030202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Silver (Ag) and/or aluminum (Al)-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Ag, ZnO:Al) films with different concentrations were produced using sol-gel process and investigated for wettability and photocatalysis. Water contact angle (CA) measurements indicated the films to be hydrophilic with reduced solid/liquid interfacial surface energy upon metal doping. The films were highly transparent (>94%) with red or blue shift in the absorption edge depending on the dopant type (Ag or Al) owing to the Burstein–Moss effect. The ZnO:Ag and ZnO:Al films with 0.5 and 1.0 wt.% metal dopant showed high degradation efficiency in methylene blue (MB) solution under UV irradiation, mainly due to an increase in the photogenerated electron–hole pair recombination time and hydroxyl radicals (·OH) generation. The MB degradation followed pseudo-first-order reaction with maximum apparent reaction rate constant of 2.40 h−1 for the 0.5 wt.% ZnO:Al film. ZnO films with 1.0 wt.% dopant demonstrated excellent photostability and recyclability even after several runs presumably due to reduced Zn2+ dissolution as well as blocking of the active surface area. ZnO:(Ag + Al) film containing 0.5 wt.% Al and Ag showed excellent UV photodegradation of MB and rhodamine blue (RhB) with high levels of photostability over five cycles.
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Simon G, Gyulavári T, Hernádi K, Molnár M, Pap Z, Veréb G, Schrantz K, Náfrádi M, Alapi T. Photocatalytic ozonation of monuron over suspended and immobilized TiO2–study of transformation, mineralization and economic feasibility. J Photochem Photobiol A Chem 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jphotochem.2018.01.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Paušová Š, Kment Š, Zlámal M, Baudys M, Hubička Z, Krýsa J. Transparent Nanotubular TiO₂ Photoanodes Grown Directly on FTO Substrates. Molecules 2017; 22:molecules22050775. [PMID: 28489038 PMCID: PMC6154507 DOI: 10.3390/molecules22050775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2017] [Revised: 04/27/2017] [Accepted: 05/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
This work describes the preparation of transparent TiO2 nanotube (TNT) arrays on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrates. An optimized electrolyte composition (0.2 mol dm−3 NH4F and 4 mol dm−3 H2O in ethylene glycol) was used for the anodization of Ti films with different thicknesses (from 100 to 1300 nm) sputtered on the FTO glass substrates. For Ti thicknesses 600 nm and higher, anodization resulted in the formation of TNT arrays with an outer nanotube diameter around 180 nm and a wall thickness around 45 nm, while for anodized Ti thicknesses of 100 nm, the produced nanotubes were not well defined. The transmittance in the visible region (λ = 500 nm) varied from 90% for the thinnest TNT array to 65% for the thickest TNT array. For the fabrication of transparent TNT arrays by anodization, the optimal Ti thickness on FTO was around 1000 nm. Such fabricated TNT arrays with a length of 2500 nm exhibit stable photocurrent densities in aqueous electrolytes (~300 µA cm−2 at potential 0.5 V vs. Ag/AgCl). The stability of the photocurrent response and a sufficient transparency (≥65%) enables the use of transparent TNT arrays in photoelectrochemical applications when the illumination from the support/semiconductor interface is a necessary condition and the transmitted light can be used for another purpose (photocathode or photochemical reaction in the electrolyte).
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Affiliation(s)
- Šárka Paušová
- University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Technická 5, 166 28 Prague 6, Czech Republic.
| | - Štěpán Kment
- Palacký University, RCPTM, Joint Laboratory of Optics, 17. Listopadu 12, 771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic.
| | - Martin Zlámal
- University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Technická 5, 166 28 Prague 6, Czech Republic.
| | - Michal Baudys
- University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Technická 5, 166 28 Prague 6, Czech Republic.
| | - Zdeněk Hubička
- Palacký University, RCPTM, Joint Laboratory of Optics, 17. Listopadu 12, 771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic.
| | - Josef Krýsa
- University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Technická 5, 166 28 Prague 6, Czech Republic.
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