Macroscopic and spectral exploration on the removal performance of pristine and phytic acid-decorated titanate nanotubes towards Eu(III)

Exploring the Antimicrobial Activity of Sodium Titanate Nanotube Biomaterials in Combating Bone Infections: An In Vitro and In Vivo Study

The majority of bone and joint infections are caused by Gram-positive organisms, specifically staphylococci. Additionally, gram-negative organisms such as E. coli can infect various organs through infected wounds. Fungal arthritis is a rare condition, with examples including Mucormycosis (Mucor rhizopus). These infections are difficult to treat, making the use of novel antibacterial materials for bone diseases crucial. Sodium titanate nanotubes (NaTNTs) were synthesized using the hydrothermal method and characterized using a Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM), High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope (HRTEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), and Zeta sizer. The antibacterial and antifungal activity of the NaTNT framework nanostructure was evaluated using Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC), Disc Diffusion assays for bacterial activity, and Minimum Fungicidal Concentration (MFC) for antifungal investigation. In addition to examining in vivo antibacterial activity in rats through wound induction and infection, pathogen counts and histological examinations were also conducted. In vitro and in vivo tests revealed that NaTNT has substantial antifungal and antibacterial effects on various bone-infected pathogens. In conclusion, current research indicates that NaTNT is an efficient antibacterial agent against a variety of microbial pathogenic bone diseases.

Hydrothermally synthesized titanate nanomaterials for the removal of heavy metals and radionuclides from water: A review

Hazardous heavy metals and radionuclides in water and wastewater are of drastic concern owing to their detrimental impacts on the organisms as well as the circumambient ecosystem. To remove them as much as we can, both technique and materials were studied in the past years. The adsorption technique as superior water remediation method with the simplicity of design, environmental friendliness and high efficiency was well established. Consequently, it is practically important to explore advanced and economically feasible absorbents for removing these poisonous pollutants from aqueous solutions. So far, large numbers of experiments proved hydrothermally synthesized titanate nanomaterials (TNMs) could be a prospectively excellent adsorbent extracting heavy metals and radionuclides from water due to the high specific surface area, tunable pore size, abundant surface active sites, favorable hydrophilic properties. The objective of this work is to give an overview of hydrothermal synthesis, adsorption performance of TNMs for heavy metals and radionuclides, as well as the various influencing factors for water purification. It comprehensively reviews the structural changes and regenerability of TNMs after adsorption, and different modification methods adopted for improving removal capacity. Additionally, it uniquely highlights the efficient decontamination of the pollutants through a synergistic effect of adsorption and photocatalysis by TNMs. This review provides detailed information for the development, application, and research challenges faced by hydrothermally synthesized TNMs for the removal of heavy metals and radionuclides from aqueous solutions, which will serve as a reference guide for scientists in related fields.

K2Ti6O13 hybridized graphene oxide: Effective enhancement in photodegradation of RhB and photoreduction of U(VI)

The environmental pollutions by organic pollutants and radionuclides have aroused great concern. Developing highly efficient elimination methods becomes an imperious demand. In this study, a nanocomposite of K₂Ti₆O₁₃ (KTO) nanobelts hybridized graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets (GO/KTO) was used to photodegrade RhB (dye) and photoreduce U(VI) (radionuclide), which was synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method. The adsorption capacity and the slope (k) of the curve -ln(C/C) versus time in photodegradation of RhB by GO/KTO were higher than that by GO and KTO. In the presence of different free radical scavengers, superoxide radical (·O₂^-) was found to play the most significant role in the reaction. The XPS experiment indicates U(VI) was successfully photoreduced to less toxic U(IV). The pH dependent photocatalytic experiments on RhB and U(VI) both showed the best performance at neutral pH value (from pH 6 to pH 8). To investigate the reason for the enhanced photocatalysis of GO/KTO, the morphology/microstructure, optical and photo-electrochemical properties were examined. The enhanced abilities of separation of photo electrons and holes and the adsorption of GO/KTO were ascribed to the structure of KTO nanobelts laying on the surface of GO nanosheets, which may maximize the contacting area between KTO and GO, and thus greatly reduce the surface related oxygen defects to enhance the electron interface transfer between KTO and GO and decrease the recombination efficiency of electrons and holes. These results showed the GO/KTO has great application potential in environmental treatment of organic pollutants and high valent heavy/radionuclide ions at neutral condition.