Deposition of titanium dioxide nanoparticles onto engineered rough surfaces with controlled heights and properties

Nanoparticle and Bioparticle Deposition Kinetics: Quartz Microbalance Measurements

Controlled deposition of nanoparticles and bioparticles is necessary for their separation and purification by chromatography, filtration, food emulsion and foam stabilization, etc. Compared to numerous experimental techniques used to quantify bioparticle deposition kinetics, the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) method is advantageous because it enables real time measurements under different transport conditions with high precision. Because of its versatility and the deceptive simplicity of measurements, this technique is used in a plethora of investigations involving nanoparticles, macroions, proteins, viruses, bacteria and cells. However, in contrast to the robustness of the measurements, theoretical interpretations of QCM measurements for a particle-like load is complicated because the primary signals (the oscillation frequency and the band width shifts) depend on the force exerted on the sensor rather than on the particle mass. Therefore, it is postulated that a proper interpretation of the QCM data requires a reliable theoretical framework furnishing reference results for well-defined systems. Providing such results is a primary motivation of this work where the kinetics of particle deposition under diffusion and flow conditions is discussed. Expressions for calculating the deposition rates and the maximum coverage are presented. Theoretical results describing the QCM response to a heterogeneous load are discussed, which enables a quantitative interpretation of experimental data obtained for nanoparticles and bioparticles comprising viruses and protein molecules.

Application of Electrically Conducting Nanocomposite Material Polythiophene@NiO/Frt/GOx as Anode for Enzymatic Biofuel Cells

In this work, nano-inspired nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiO) and polythiophene (Pth) modified bioanode was prepared for biofuel cell applications. The chemically prepared nickel oxide nanoparticles and its composite with polythiophene were characterized for elemental composition and microscopic characterization while using scanning electron microscopy. The electrochemical characterizations of polythiophene@NiO composite, biocompatible mediator ferritin (Frt) and glucose oxidase (GOx) catalyst modified glassy carbon (GC) electrode were carried out using cyclic voltammetry (CV), linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), and charge-discharge studies. The current density of Pth@NiO/Frt/GOx bioanode was found to be 5.4 mA/cm². The bioanode exhibited a good bio-electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of the glucose. The experimental studies of the bioanode are justifying its employment in biofuel cells. This will cater a platform for the generation of sustainable energy for low temperature devices.