Design of crystal structures, morphologies and functionalities of titanium oxide using water-soluble complexes and molecular control agents

Sol-Gel-Derived Fibers Based on Amorphous α-Hydroxy-Carboxylate-Modified Titanium(IV) Oxide as a 3-Dimensional Scaffold

The development of novel fibrous biomaterials and further processing of medical devices is still challenging. For instance, titanium(IV) oxide is a well-established biocompatible material, and the synthesis of TiO_x particles and coatings via the sol-gel process has frequently been published. However, synthesis protocols of sol-gel-derived TiO_x fibers are hardly known. In this publication, the authors present a synthesis and fabrication of purely sol-gel-derived TiO_x fiber fleeces starting from the liquid sol-gel precursor titanium ethylate (TEOT). Here, the α-hydroxy-carboxylic acid lactic acid (LA) was used as a chelating ligand to reduce the reactivity towards hydrolysis of TEOT enabling a spinnable sol. The resulting fibers were processed into a non-woven fleece, characterized with FTIR, ¹³C-MAS-NMR, XRD, and screened with regard to their stability in physiological solution. They revealed an unexpected dependency between the LA content and the dissolution behavior. Finally, in vitro cell culture experiments proved their potential suitability as an open-mesh structured scaffold material, even for challenging applications such as therapeutic medicinal products (ATMPs).

Anisotropy in Stable Conformations of Hydroxylate Ions between the {001} and {110} Planes of TiO2 Rutile Crystals for Glycolate, Lactate, and 2-Hydroxybutyrate Ions Studied by Metadynamics Method

Control over TiO2 rutile crystal growth and morphology using additives is essential for the development of functional materials. Computer simulation studies on the thermodynamically stable conformations of additives at the surfaces of rutile crystals contribute to understanding the mechanisms underlying this control. In this study, a metadynamics method was combined with molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the thermodynamically stable conformations of glycolate, lactate, and 2-hydroxybutyrate ions at the {001} and {110} planes of rutile crystals. Two simple atom-atom distances were selected as collective variables for the metadynamics method. At the {001} plane, a conformation in which the COO- group was oriented toward the surface was found to be the most stable for the lactate and 2-hydroxybutyrate ions, whereas a conformation in which the COO- group was oriented toward water was the most stable for the glycolate ion. At the {110} plane, a conformation in which the COO- group was oriented toward the surface was the most stable for all three hydroxylate ions, and a second most stable conformation was also observed for the lactate ion at positions close to the {110} plane. For all three hydroxylate ions (α-hydroxycarboxylate ions), the stability of the most stable conformation was higher for the {110} plane than for the {001} plane. At both planes, the stability of the most stable conformation was highest for the 2-hydroxybutyrate ion and lowest for the glycolate ion. Supposing that all three hydroxylate ions serve to decrease the surface free energy at the rutile surface and that a more stable conformation at the rutile surface leads to a greater decrease in the surface free energy, the present results partially explain experimentally observed differences in the changes in growth rate and morphology of rutile crystals in the presence of glycolic, lactic, and 2-hydroxybutyric acids.

Titania Nanocrystal Surface Functionalization through Silane Chemistry for Low Temperature Deposition on Polymers

A method to obtain photocatalytically active thin films of anatase nanocrystals on polymer substrates was explored. Anatase nanocrystals were synthesized by a fast hydrolysis synthesis in an apolar solvent and characterized with regard to their crystallinity, size, and dispersibility and the stability of the resulting suspensions. The stable titania nanocrystal suspensions were further processed for their use in polar solvents using ligand exchange. Oleic acid was exchanged for 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), resulting in aqueous suspensions of charge-stabilized nanocrystals. These were adapted for use as coating suspensions for surface-treated PMMA substrates in order to obtain thin films containing anatase nanocrystals covalently coupled to the surface of the PMMA substrates. Thereby, the ligand exchange was beneficial for increasing the compatibility and durability of the inorganic/organic composite, by the formation of a covalent amide bond between the silane ligands on the nanocrystals and the carboxylic acid groups on the polymer substrate. The surface morphology, transparency, and photocatalytic activity toward the degradation of organic pollutants of the coatings, obtained through dip-coating, were evaluated.