Photocatalytic degradation of bacteriophages evidenced by atomic force microscopy.

Emrecan Soylemez,Tom A Stewart,Alex Evilevitch,May Nyman,Maarten P De Boer,Udom Sae-Ueng

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0053601

Emrecan Soylemez, Tom A Stewart + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0053601

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Abstract

Methods to supply fresh water are becoming increasingly critical as the world population continues to grow. Small-diameter hazardous microbes such as viruses (20–100 nm diameter) can be filtered by size exclusion, but in this approach the filters are fouled. Thus, in our research, we are investigating an approach in which filters will be reusable. When exposed to ultraviolet (UV) illumination, titanate materials photocatalytically evolve •OH and O2•− radicals, which attack biological materials. In the proposed approach, titanate nanosheets are deposited on a substrate. Viruses adsorb on these nanosheets and degrade when exposed to UV light. Using atomic force microscopy (AFM), we image adsorbed viruses and demonstrate that they are removed by UV illumination in the presence of the nanosheets, but not in their absence.

Highlights

More than a billion people lack access to potable water and sanitation in the world [1]
Various studies have been conducted to increase the effectiveness of TiO2 with respect to photocatalytic decomposition of organic compounds, including photocatalytic sterilization and photocatalytic cancer treatment [8,11]
sodium nonatitanate (SNT) delaminated sheets deposition technique was confirmed by atomic force microscopy (AFM)

Summary

Introduction

More than a billion people lack access to potable water and sanitation in the world [1]. Nanocatalysts are effective in reducing fouling; they catalyze chemical reactions to remove bacteria, viruses and organic toxins in water [2,3,4,5,6,7,8]. Zero valent iron (ZVI) has been successfully used in permeable reactive wall applications to treat chlorinated organic compounds in groundwater [2]. Another promising method noted successful removal of chlorinated ethenes and other related toxins by catalyzation of palladium-on-gold bimetallic nanoparticles [4]. The lifetime of filters can potentially be further enhanced by photocatalysts, which can remove organic contaminants in water more effectively. Nanofiltration membranes made from TiO2 are under investigation to eliminate the need for other nanomembranes and the adsorbtive materials [16,19]

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