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Fabrication and Properties of Hydrophobically Modified ZnO–SiO2 Nanocomposite with Polysiloxane. J Inorg Organomet Polym Mater 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s10904-023-02571-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
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Bhatti MA, Almani KF, Shah AA, Tahira A, Chana IA, Aftab U, Ibupoto MH, Mirjat AN, Aboelmaaref A, Nafady A, Vigolo B, Ibupoto ZH. Renewable and eco-friendly ZnO immobilized onto dead sea sponge floating materials with dual practical aspects for enhanced photocatalysis and disinfection applications. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2022; 34:035602. [PMID: 36215879 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/ac98cc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
In this study, we have investigated the role of natural dead sea sponge (DSS, Porifera) as a three-dimensional (3D) porous host substrate for the immobilization of nanostructured ZnO material towards the development of ZnO based floating photocatalysts for efficient removal of methylene blue (MB) dye under the illumination of sunlight. After photodegradation, the treated water after dye degradation contains several pathogens, different disinfectants or chemical reagents that are essentially used. This is not the case for DSS as it can naturally kill any pathogens during the wastewater treatment process. To explore these functions, ZnO nanosheets were incorporated onto DSS via hydrothermal protocol and the as prepared ZnO/DSS hybrid material exhibited approximately ∼100% degradation efficiency for the removal of MB. Importantly, the degradation kinetics associated with the fabricated ZnO/DSS was remarkably accelerated as evidenced by the high values of degradation reaction rate constants (3.35 × 10-2min-1). The outperformance of ZnO/DSS could be attributed to the adsorption caused by its 3D porous structure together with the high rapid oxidation of MB. Furthermore, the high charge separation of electron-hole pairs, natural porosity, and abundant catalytic sites offered by the hybrid ZnO/DSS floating photocatalyst have enabled quantitative (∼100%) degradation efficiency for MB. Finally, the excellent reusability results confirm the feasibility of using natural ZnO/DSS-based photocatalyst for practical solution of wastewater treatment and other environmental problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Ali Bhatti
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, University of Sindh Jamshoro, 76080, Sindh, Pakistan
| | - Khalida Faryal Almani
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, University of Sindh Jamshoro, 76080, Sindh, Pakistan
| | - Aqeel Ahmed Shah
- Department of Metallurgy, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Aneela Tahira
- Dr M.A Kazi Institute of Chemistry, University of Sindh Jamshoro, 76080, Sindh, Pakistan
| | - Iftikhar Ahmed Chana
- Department of Metallurgy, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Umair Aftab
- Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, 7680 Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan
| | | | - Abdul Nabi Mirjat
- Institute of Microbiology, University of Sindh Jamshoro, 76080, Sindh, Pakistan
| | - Amal Aboelmaaref
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Ain Helwan, Egypt
| | - Ayman Nafady
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | | | - Zafar Hussain Ibupoto
- Dr M.A Kazi Institute of Chemistry, University of Sindh Jamshoro, 76080, Sindh, Pakistan
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Cambiaso S, Rasera F, Rossi G, Bochicchio D. Development of a transferable coarse-grained model of polydimethylsiloxane. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:7887-7896. [PMID: 36206016 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm00939k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is a popular silicon-based polymer with advanced applications in microfluidics and nanocomposites. The slow dynamics of polymer chains in such complex systems hinders molecular dynamics investigations based on all atom force fields. This limitation can be overcome by exploiting finely tuned coarse-grained (CG) models. This paper develops a transferable CG model of PDMS, compatible with the recent Martini 3 force field, using structural and thermodynamic properties as targets in the parametrization, including a vast set of experimental free energies of transfer. We validate the model transferability by reproducing the correct scaling laws for the PDMS gyration radius in the melt and good and bad solvents. We successfully test the model by reproducing the wetting behavior of water and acetonitrile on PDMS and the phase behavior of a PDMS-peptide triblock copolymer system. This work sets the stage for computational studies involving the interaction between PDMS and many synthetic and biological molecules modeled within the Martini framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Cambiaso
- Physics Department, University of Genoa, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genoa, Italy.
| | - Fabio Rasera
- Dept of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Rome La Sapienza, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Rome, Italy
| | - Giulia Rossi
- Physics Department, University of Genoa, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genoa, Italy.
| | - Davide Bochicchio
- Physics Department, University of Genoa, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genoa, Italy.
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An Overview of Polymer-Supported Catalysts for Wastewater Treatment through Light-Driven Processes. WATER 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/w14050825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, alarm has been raised due to the presence of chemical contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in water. This concern is due to the risks associated with their exposure, even in small amounts. These complex compounds cannot be removed or degraded by existing technologies in wastewater treatment plants. Therefore, advanced oxidation processes have been studied, with the objective of developing a technology capable of complementing the conventional water treatment plants. Heterogenous photocatalysis stands out for being a cost-effective and environmentally friendly process. However, its most common form (with suspended catalytic particles) requires time-consuming and costly downstream processes. Therefore, the heterogeneous photocatalysis process with a supported catalyst is preferable. Among the available supports, polymeric ones stand out due to their favorable characteristics, such as their transparency, flexibility and stability. This is a relatively novel process; therefore, there are still some gaps in the scientific knowledge. Thus, this review article aims to gather the existing information about this process and verify which questions are still to be answered.
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Boudaghi A, Foroutan M. Investigation of the wettability of chemically heterogeneous smooth and rough surfaces using molecular dynamics simulation. J Mol Liq 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2021.118017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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