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Cimini A, Borgioni A, Passarini E, Mancini C, Proietti A, Buccini L, Stornelli E, Schifano E, Dinarelli S, Mura F, Sergi C, Bavasso I, Cortese B, Passeri D, Imperi E, Rinaldi T, Picano A, Rossi M. Upscaling of Electrospinning Technology and the Application of Functionalized PVDF-HFP@TiO 2 Electrospun Nanofibers for the Rapid Photocatalytic Deactivation of Bacteria on Advanced Face Masks. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:4586. [PMID: 38231986 PMCID: PMC10708761 DOI: 10.3390/polym15234586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 11/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
In recent years, Electrospinning (ES) has been revealed to be a straightforward and innovative approach to manufacture functionalized nanofiber-based membranes with high filtering performance against fine Particulate Matter (PM) and proper bioactive properties. These qualities are useful for tackling current issues from bacterial contamination on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) surfaces to the reusability of both disposable single-use face masks and respirator filters. Despite the fact that the conventional ES process can be upscaled to promote a high-rate nanofiber production, the number of research works on the design of hybrid materials embedded in electrospun membranes for face mask application is still low and has mainly been carried out at the laboratory scale. In this work, a multi-needle ES was employed in a continuous processing for the manufacturing of both pristine Poly (Vinylidene Fluoride-co-Hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) nanofibers and functionalized membrane ones embedded with TiO2 Nanoparticles (NPs) (PVDF-HFP@TiO2). The nanofibers were collected on Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) nonwoven spunbond fabric and characterized by using Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX), Raman spectroscopy, and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) analysis. The photocatalytic study performed on the electrospun membranes proved that the PVDF-HFP@TiO2 nanofibers provide a significant antibacterial activity for both Staphylococcus aureus (~94%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (~85%), after only 5 min of exposure to a UV-A light source. In addition, the PVDF-HFP@TiO2 nanofibers exhibit high filtration efficiency against submicron particles (~99%) and a low pressure drop (~3 mbar), in accordance with the standard required for Filtering Face Piece masks (FFPs). Therefore, these results aim to provide a real perspective on producing electrospun polymer-based nanotextiles with self-sterilizing properties for the implementation of advanced face masks on a large scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriano Cimini
- Department of Basic and Applied Sciences for Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via A. Scarpa 16, 00161 Rome, Italy (A.P.); (L.B.); (E.S.); (D.P.)
- Industrial Research Laboratory, LABOR s.r.l., Via Giacomo Peroni 386, 00131 Rome, Italy
| | - Alessia Borgioni
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (A.B.); (E.P.)
| | - Elena Passarini
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (A.B.); (E.P.)
| | - Chiara Mancini
- Department of Basic and Applied Sciences for Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via A. Scarpa 16, 00161 Rome, Italy (A.P.); (L.B.); (E.S.); (D.P.)
| | - Anacleto Proietti
- Department of Basic and Applied Sciences for Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via A. Scarpa 16, 00161 Rome, Italy (A.P.); (L.B.); (E.S.); (D.P.)
| | - Luca Buccini
- Department of Basic and Applied Sciences for Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via A. Scarpa 16, 00161 Rome, Italy (A.P.); (L.B.); (E.S.); (D.P.)
| | - Eleonora Stornelli
- Department of Basic and Applied Sciences for Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via A. Scarpa 16, 00161 Rome, Italy (A.P.); (L.B.); (E.S.); (D.P.)
| | - Emily Schifano
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (A.B.); (E.P.)
| | - Simone Dinarelli
- Institute for the Structure of Matter (ISM), National Research Council (CNR), Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Rome, Italy;
| | - Francesco Mura
- Department of Basic and Applied Sciences for Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via A. Scarpa 16, 00161 Rome, Italy (A.P.); (L.B.); (E.S.); (D.P.)
- Research Center for Nanotechnology for Engineering of Sapienza (CNIS), Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Claudia Sergi
- Department of Chemical Engineering Materials Environment, Sapienza University of Rome & UdR INSTM, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Rome, Italy
| | - Irene Bavasso
- Department of Chemical Engineering Materials Environment, Sapienza University of Rome & UdR INSTM, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Rome, Italy
| | - Barbara Cortese
- National Research Council (CNR), Institute of Nanotechnology (CNR Nanotec), c/o Edificio Fermi, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy;
| | - Daniele Passeri
- Department of Basic and Applied Sciences for Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via A. Scarpa 16, 00161 Rome, Italy (A.P.); (L.B.); (E.S.); (D.P.)
- Research Center for Nanotechnology for Engineering of Sapienza (CNIS), Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Enrico Imperi
- Industrial Research Laboratory, LABOR s.r.l., Via Giacomo Peroni 386, 00131 Rome, Italy
| | - Teresa Rinaldi
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (A.B.); (E.P.)
| | - Alfredo Picano
- National Research Council of Italy, Institute for Microelectronics and Microsystems (CNR-IMM), Via Piero Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy
| | - Marco Rossi
- Department of Basic and Applied Sciences for Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via A. Scarpa 16, 00161 Rome, Italy (A.P.); (L.B.); (E.S.); (D.P.)
- Research Center for Nanotechnology for Engineering of Sapienza (CNIS), Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
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Research Progress of Water Treatment Technology Based on Nanofiber Membranes. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:polym15030741. [PMID: 36772042 PMCID: PMC9920505 DOI: 10.3390/polym15030741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
In the field of water purification, membrane separation technology plays a significant role. Electrospinning has emerged as a primary method to produce nanofiber membranes due to its straightforward, low cost, functional diversity, and process controllability. It is possible to flexibly control the structural characteristics of electrospun nanofiber membranes as well as carry out various membrane material combinations to make full use of their various properties, including high porosity, high selectivity, and microporous permeability to obtain high-performance water treatment membranes. These water separation membranes can satisfy the fast and efficient purification requirements in different water purification applications due to their high filtration efficiency. The current research on water treatment membranes is still focused on creating high-permeability membranes with outstanding selectivity, remarkable antifouling performance, superior physical and chemical performance, and long-term stability. This paper reviewed the preparation methods and properties of electrospun nanofiber membranes for water treatment in various fields, including microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis, forward osmosis, and other special applications. Lastly, various antifouling technologies and research progress of water treatment membranes were discussed, and the future development direction of electrospun nanofiber membranes for water treatment was also presented.
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Recycling Carbon Fiber from Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer and Its Reuse in Photocatalysis: A Review. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 15:polym15010170. [PMID: 36616520 PMCID: PMC9824332 DOI: 10.3390/polym15010170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Driven by various environmental and economic factors, it is emerging to adopt an efficient and sustainable strategy to recycle carbon fibers (rCFs) from carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) wastes and reuse them in high-value applications. This review summarized the latest progress of CFRP waste recycling methods (including mechanical, chemical, and thermal methods), discussed their advantages and disadvantages, influence parameters and possible environmental effects, and their potential effects on the mechanical and surface chemical properties of rCFs. In addition, the latest optimization schemes of leading recycling technologies were detailed. According to the literature, CFs are the key points in the structural support of semiconductor-based recyclable photocatalytic systems and the enhancement of performance, which means that rCFs have high reuse potential in sustainable photocatalysis. Therefore, this paper also emphasized the possibility and potential value of reusing recovered fibers for developing recyclable photocatalytic products, which may be a new way of reuse in environmental purification often ignored by researchers and decision-makers in the field of CFs.
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Rabadanova A, Abdurakhmanov M, Gulakhmedov R, Shuaibov A, Selimov D, Sobola D, Částková K, Ramazanov S, Orudzhev F. Piezo-, photo- and piezophotocatalytic activity of electrospun fibrous PVDF/CTAB membrane. CHIMICA TECHNO ACTA 2022. [DOI: 10.15826/chimtech.2022.9.4.20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
A composite material based on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofibers modified with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was synthesized by coaxial electrospinning. The morphology and structure of the material were studied by SEM, FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, XPS, and the piezo-photo- and piezo-photocatalytic activity during the decomposition of the organic dye Methylene blue (MB) was studied. It is shown that the addition of CTAB promotes additional polarization of the PVDF structure due to ion-dipole interaction. It has been shown for the first time that the addition of CTAB promotes the photosensitivity of the wide-gap dielectric polymer PVDF (the band gap is more than 6 eV). It was demonstrated that the photocatalytic decomposition efficiency was 91% in 60 minutes. The material exhibits piezocatalytic activity – 73% in 60 minutes. Experiments on trapping active oxidizing forms have established that OH hydroxyl radicals play the main role in the photocatalytic process.
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Electrospun Porous Nanofibers: Pore−Forming Mechanisms and Applications for Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Pollutants in Wastewater. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 14:polym14193990. [PMID: 36235934 PMCID: PMC9570808 DOI: 10.3390/polym14193990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Electrospun porous nanofibers have large specific surface areas and abundant active centers, which can effectively improve the properties of nanofibers. In the field of photocatalysis, electrospun porous nanofibers can increase the contact area of loaded photocatalytic particles with light, shorten the electron transfer path, and improve photocatalytic activity. In this paper, the main pore−forming mechanisms of electrospun porous nanofiber are summarized as breath figures, phase separation (vapor−induced phase separation, non−solvent−induced phase separation, and thermally induced phase separation) and post−processing (selective removal). Then, the application of electrospun porous nanofiber loading photocatalytic particles in the degradation of pollutants (such as organic, inorganic, and bacteria) in water is introduced, and its future development prospected. Although porous structures are beneficial in improving the photocatalytic performance of nanofibers, they reduce their mechanical properties. Therefore, strategies for improving the mechanical properties of electrospun porous nanofibers are also briefly discussed.
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Sasi S, Chandran A, Sugunan SK, Krishna AC, Nair PR, Peter A, Shaji AN, Subramanian KRV, Pai N, Mathew S. Flexible Nano-TiO 2 Sheets Exhibiting Excellent Photocatalytic and Photovoltaic Properties by Controlled Silane Functionalization-Exploring the New Prospects of Wastewater Treatment and Flexible DSSCs. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:25094-25109. [PMID: 35910153 PMCID: PMC9330195 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c01425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
TiO2 nanoparticles surface-modified with silane moieties, which can be directly coated on a flexible substrate without the requirement of any binder materials and postsintering processes, are synthesized and characterized using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, time-correlated single-photon counting, and transmission electron microscopy. The viability of the prepared surface-modified TiO2 (M-TiO2) sheets as a catalyst for the photo-induced degradation of a model dye, methylene blue, was checked using UV-visible absorption spectroscopy. The data suggest that, compared to unmodified TiO2, M-TiO2 sheets facilitate better dye-degradation, which leads to a remarkable photocatalytic activity that results in more than 95% degradation of the dye in the first 10 min and more than 99% of the degradation in the first 50 min of the photocatalytic experiments. We also demonstrate that M-TiO2 can be recycled with negligible reduction in photocatalytic activity. Further, the photovoltaic properties of the developed M-TiO2 sheets were assessed using UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and photochronoamperometry. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) fabricated using M-TiO2 as the photoanode exhibited a photoconversion efficiency of 4.1% under direct sunlight. These experiments suggested that M-TiO2 sheets show enhanced photovoltaic properties compared to unmodified TiO2 sheets, and that, when N-719 dye is incorporated, the dye-TiO2 interaction is more favorable for M-TiO2 than bare TiO2. The simple solution processing method demonstrated in this paper rendered a highly flexible photoanode made of M-TiO2 with superior charge-separation efficiency to an electrode made of bare TiO2. We propose that our findings on the photovoltaic properties of M-TiO2 open up arenas of further improvement and a wide scope for the large-scale production of flexible DSSCs on plastic substrates at room temperature in a cost-effective way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soorya Sasi
- Advanced
Molecular Materials Research Centre, Mahatma
Gandhi University, Kottayam 686 560, Kerala, India
| | - Akash Chandran
- School
of Chemical Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Priyadarshini Hills, Kottayam 686 560, Kerala, India
| | - Sunish K. Sugunan
- Department
of Chemistry, CMS College Kottayam (Autonomous)—affiliated
to Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam 686001, Kerala, India
| | - Ardra C Krishna
- School
of Chemical Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Priyadarshini Hills, Kottayam 686 560, Kerala, India
| | | | - Aneena Peter
- School
of Chemical Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Priyadarshini Hills, Kottayam 686 560, Kerala, India
| | - Arsha N. Shaji
- School
of Chemical Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Priyadarshini Hills, Kottayam 686 560, Kerala, India
| | | | - Narendra Pai
- School
of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Suresh Mathew
- Advanced
Molecular Materials Research Centre, Mahatma
Gandhi University, Kottayam 686 560, Kerala, India
- School
of Chemical Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Priyadarshini Hills, Kottayam 686 560, Kerala, India
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Gomez-Solis C, Mendoza R, Rios-Orihuela JF, Robledo-Trujillo G, Diaz-Torres LA, Oliva J, Rodriguez-Gonzalez V. Efficient solar removal of acetaminophen contaminant from water using flexible graphene composites functionalized with Ni@TiO 2:W nanoparticles. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 290:112665. [PMID: 33892238 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Revised: 04/10/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
This work presents the morphological, structural and photocatalytic properties of flexible graphene composites decorated with Ni@TiO2:W nanoparticles (TiNiW NPs) with an average size of 27 ± 2 nm. The TiNiW NPs were immobilized on the surface of a flexible graphene composite using a PVA-based slurry-paste (FG/TiNiW composite). The SEM study showed that the TiNiW NPs remained exposed on the surface of the FG/TiNiW composite, which benefited its photocatalytic activity. The photocatalytic performance for the degradation of acetaminophen (ACT) was evaluated using both the TiNiW powders and the FG/TiNiW composite, obtaining maximum degradation efficiencies of 100 and 86%, respectively, after 3 h under natural solar irradiation. The degradation of ACT was caused mainly by the reactive oxygen species such as OH radicals and h+, which was confirmed by scavenger experiments. Photoluminescence, XPS and absorbance experiments revealed that oxygen vacancy defects were created by i) doping the TiNiW NPs with W and by ii) introducing graphene into the composites. These defects enhanced the absorbance of light in the range of 400-800 nm, which in turn, promoted the photocatalytic degradation of ACT. Moreover, the reuse experiments confirmed that both the TiNiW NPs and FG/TiNiW composite were very stable for the degradation of ACT, since degradation efficiencies >82% were obtained after 4 reuse cycles for both photocatalysts. The experimental findings of this work demonstrate that the flexible TiO2/graphene composites are a feasible option for the removal of pharmaceutical contaminants from water using natural solar irradiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Gomez-Solis
- Universidad de Guanajuato, División de Ciencias e Ingenierías, 37150, León, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - R Mendoza
- CONACyT-División de Materiales Avanzados, Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica A. C., 78216, San Luis Potosí, SLP, Mexico
| | - J F Rios-Orihuela
- Universidad de Guanajuato, División de Ciencias e Ingenierías, 37150, León, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - G Robledo-Trujillo
- CONACyT-División de Materiales Avanzados, Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica A. C., 78216, San Luis Potosí, SLP, Mexico
| | - L A Diaz-Torres
- Grupo de Espectroscopia de Materiales Avanzados y Nanoestructurados (GEMANA), Centro de Investigaciones en Óptica, A.C., Lomas Del Bosque115, Lomas Del Campestre, C.P. 37150, León, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - J Oliva
- CONACyT-División de Materiales Avanzados, Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica A. C., 78216, San Luis Potosí, SLP, Mexico.
| | - V Rodriguez-Gonzalez
- CONACyT-División de Materiales Avanzados, Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica A. C., 78216, San Luis Potosí, SLP, Mexico.
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Hong W, Li C, Tang T, Xu H, Yu Y, Liu G, Wang F, Lei C, Zhu H. The photocatalytic activity of the SnO 2/TiO 2/PVDF composite membrane in rhodamine B degradation. NEW J CHEM 2021. [DOI: 10.1039/d0nj04764c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The immobilization of photocatalysts is considered an effective approach to solve the problem of the difficult recycling of powdered nanocatalysts after photocatalytic degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Hong
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Fiber Materials and Manufacturing Technology
- Zhejiang Sci-Tech University
- Hangzhou 310018
- China
| | - Chengcai Li
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Fiber Materials and Manufacturing Technology
- Zhejiang Sci-Tech University
- Hangzhou 310018
- China
| | - Tao Tang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Fiber Materials and Manufacturing Technology
- Zhejiang Sci-Tech University
- Hangzhou 310018
- China
| | - Huan Xu
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Fiber Materials and Manufacturing Technology
- Zhejiang Sci-Tech University
- Hangzhou 310018
- China
| | - Yuan Yu
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Fiber Materials and Manufacturing Technology
- Zhejiang Sci-Tech University
- Hangzhou 310018
- China
| | - Guojin Liu
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Fiber Materials and Manufacturing Technology
- Zhejiang Sci-Tech University
- Hangzhou 310018
- China
| | - Feng Wang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Fiber Materials and Manufacturing Technology
- Zhejiang Sci-Tech University
- Hangzhou 310018
- China
- Zhejiang Kertice Hi-Tech Fluor-Material Co., Ltd
| | - Caihong Lei
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Fiber Materials and Manufacturing Technology
- Zhejiang Sci-Tech University
- Hangzhou 310018
- China
| | - Hailin Zhu
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Fiber Materials and Manufacturing Technology
- Zhejiang Sci-Tech University
- Hangzhou 310018
- China
- Zhejiang Kertice Hi-Tech Fluor-Material Co., Ltd
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Meng Z, Zhou B, Xu J, Li Y, Hu X, Tian H. Heterostructured Nitrogen and Sulfur co-doped Black TiO2/g-C3N4 Photocatalyst with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity. Chem Res Chin Univ 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s40242-020-0175-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Simultaneous Enhancement of Photocatalytic Bactericidal Activity and Strength Properties of Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene Plastic Via a Facile Preparation with Silane/TiO 2. Polymers (Basel) 2020; 12:polym12040917. [PMID: 32316097 PMCID: PMC7240533 DOI: 10.3390/polym12040917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Revised: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 04/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
This work aims to enhance the photocatalytic antibacterial performance of plastics according to the JIS Z 2801:2010 standard, and to determine their mechanical properties by studying: (i) the influence of calcination on titanium dioxide (TiO2); (ii) modification with different TiO2 concentrations, and; (iii) the effect of silane as a coupling agent. Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene plastics (ABS) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) were chosen as the model plastic and bacteria, respectively. The 500 °C calcined TiO2 successfully provided the best photoantibacterial activity, with an approximately 62% decrease of E. coli colony counts following 30 min of exposure. Heat treatment improved the crystallinity of anatase TiO2, resulting in low electron-hole recombination, while effectively adsorbing reactants on the surface. ABS with 500 °C-calcined TiO2 at the concentration of 1 wt % gave rise to the highest performance due to the improved distribution of TiO2. At this point, blending silane coupling agent could further improve the efficacy of photoantibacterial activity up to 75% due to greater interactions with the polymer matrix. Moreover, it could promote a 1.6-fold increase of yield strength via increased adherent bonding between TiO2 and the ABS matrix. Excellent photocatalytic and material stability can be achieved, with constant photocatalytic efficiency remaining for up to five reuse cycles without loss in the yield strength.
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