Reline deep eutectic solvent mediated synthesis of lanthanum titanate for heavy metal remediation and photocatalytic degradation

Toxic heavy metal and dye contamination are potential threats that mutilate the essential triad of life; air, water and soil. Despite commercial applicability and importance, the over accumulation of these noxious toxicants has become a disturbing concern. As a result, their remediation has drawn greater fascination leading to the inexplicable quest for a material which can act as both an adsorbent and as a photocatalyst. The present work highlights a novel solid-state technique assisted with reline (Choline chloride: Urea) deep eutectic solvent for the synthesis of lanthanum titanate. The synthesized material was established with physical characterizations like PXRD, FT-IR, UV-DRS, BET, XPS, HR-SEM and TEM techniques. Further, the ruptured petal-like lanthanum titanate was integrated as an adsorbent for the removal of lead (Pb), arsenic (As) and chromium (Cr) heavy metals. The adsorbent presented increased adsorption efficiencies of 96, 74 and 71% towards Pb, As and Cr respectively. Dependence of the degradation efficiency over concentration, pH, contact time and competitive environments were analyzed and inferred. Furthermore, lanthanum titanate was used for the photocatalytic degradation of reactive black (RB5), red (RR198) and yellow (RY145) dyes. The degradation efficiencies were found to be 68.31, 85.2 and 96.8% for RB5, RR198 and RY145 dyes respectively. Variation in concentration and pH of the dye solutions were examined and reaction kinetics was also proposed. In conclusion, the as synthesized lanthanum titanate is assured to play dual roles as a versatile cost-effective adsorbent for the remediation of heavy metals and as a potential candidate for photocatalytic degradation.

Synthesis, characterization, and biocompatibility of lanthanum titanate nanoparticles in albino mice in a sex-specific manner

The aim of this study is to report the synthesis, characterization, and biocompatibility of lanthanum titanate nanoparticles (LT NPs) in albino mice. Microemulsion method was used to generate LT NPs. Seven-week-old albino mice of both sexes orally received 50 mg/ml saline/kg body weight of nanoparticles for 15 days (group 1) and 29 days (group 2). Control groups were maintained in parallel. Selected behavioral (rotarod, light and dark box, open-field and Morris water maze) tests were conducted, blood biochemical analysis was done, and antioxidants were determined in vital organs of all treatments. Male mice treated with LT NPs for 15 days spent significantly more time in light and less time in dark during light dark box test. While they had made significantly more platform entries and platform maximum visits during acquisition phase of Morris water maze test, they remained unaffected in probe trail performance when compared with control. These male mice had significantly reduced white blood cells, lymphocyte, and monocyte count and significantly increased triglyceride levels in serum than the control group. They had higher level of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in heart and reduced level of malonaldehyde (MDA) in kidney while 15-day LT NP-treated females had significantly higher level of SOD in liver and kidney. Male mice treated with NPs for 29 days had increased anticlockwise rotations during open field, reduced level of triglycerides in serum, and significantly higher level of SOD in kidney and MDA in lungs. In contrast, female mice treated with NPs for 29 days had higher SOD level in liver, kidney, and heart than their control group. Oral supplementation of LT NPs for variable duration improved the exploratory behavior in male but disturbed blood chemistry and antioxidants from vital organs under both experimental conditions.