Abstract
The aim of extreme biomimetics is to design a bridge between extreme biomineralization and bioinspired materials chemistry, where the basic principle is to exploit chemically and thermally stable, renewable biopolymers for the development of the next generation of biologically inspired advanced and functional composite materials. This study reports for the first time the use of proteinaceous spongin-based scaffolds isolated from marine demosponge Hippospongia communis as a three-dimensional (3D) template for the hydrothermal deposition of crystalline titanium dioxide. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) assisted with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) mapping, low temperature nitrogen sorption, thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), and attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared (ATR–FTIR) spectroscopy are used as characterization techniques. It was found that, after hydrothermal treatment crystalline titania in anatase form is obtained, which forms a coating around spongin microfibers through interaction with negatively charged functional groups of the structural protein as well as via hydrogen bonding. The material was tested as a potential heterogeneous photocatalyst for removal of C.I. Basic Blue 9 dye under UV irradiation. The obtained 3D composite material shows a high efficiency of dye removal through both adsorption and photocatalysis.
Highlights
Incorporation of inorganic compounds and biological macromolecules using a nature-inspired biomimetic approach can provide remarkably attractive solutions to current technological challenges, and lead to the development of novel, advanced composite materials that exhibit unique physicochemical, structural, and functional properties [1,2,3,4]
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images presented in Figure 2 show the surface morphology of spongin fibers before and after hydrothermal synthesis of titanium dioxide at a temperature of 120 ◦ C
A TiO2 coating has been synthesized using a hydrothermal mineralization route onto 3D spongin‐based scaffolds isolated from H. communis marine demosponge as a porous support onto 3D spongin-based scaffolds isolated from H. communis marine demosponge as a porous support according to an extreme biomimetics approach
Summary
Incorporation of inorganic compounds and biological macromolecules using a nature-inspired biomimetic approach can provide remarkably attractive solutions to current technological challenges, and lead to the development of novel, advanced composite materials that exhibit unique physicochemical, structural, and functional properties [1,2,3,4]. From a practical science point of view, it opens the door to the development of novel composite materials using both thermostable biopolymers (chitin, spongin, silk) and selected inorganic phases under hydrothermal synthesis conditions [8,9,10]. This direction has gained enormous attention especially in aspects where there is an interest in the development of materials, which feature hierarchical and nanostructural organization but three-dimensional (3D) architecture at micro- and macrolevels. Their fibrous skeletons are made of aminopolysaccharide chitin (sponges in the order Verongida) or proteinaceous spongin (representatives of the order Dictyoceratida)
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