Doped Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Research Articles

Effect of the vanadium doped titanium oxide nanoparticles on ionic contribution in dielectric behaviour of a nematic liquid crystal

Effect of the vanadium doped titanium oxide nanoparticles on ionic contribution in dielectric behaviour of a nematic liquid crystal

Characterization of novel solar based nitrogen doped titanium dioxide photocatalytic membrane for wastewater treatment

The increasing presence of microbial and emerging organic contaminants pose detrimental effects on the environment and ecosystem such as diseases, pandemics and toxicity. Most of these synthetic pollutants are biorecalcitrant and therefore persist in the environment. Conventional water treatment methods are not effective thereby necessitating the development of advanced techniques such as photocatalysis and membrane processes. In this study, visible light-driven photocatalytic membrane was synthesized through the immobilization of nitrogen-doped nanoparticles onto the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane and performance evaluated with E.coli microbial contaminant removal. Characterization was done using Fourier transform infrared spectra, X-ray diffraction (XRD), water contact angle, Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX). The Nitrogen-doping of titanium dioxide red-shifted the light absorption to a visible range of 440 nm from 400 nm. Nitrogen dopant was detected at 1420 cm−1and 1170 cm−1 for nitrogen doped nanoparticles and 1346-1417 cm−1 for nitrogen doped titanium dioxide PVDF membrane. SEM-EDX confirmed presences of nitrogen in nitrogen doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles on membrane surface with nitrogen elemental composition of 0.01 % wt. The water contact angle reduced by 81.39o from 120.14o to 38.75o because of PVA immobilization of nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide and glutaraldehyde crosslinking. Nitrogen doping resulted in visible light active photocatalytic membranes with better hydrophilicity and fouling resistance. 8.42 E.coli log removal and a relative flux of 0.35 was obtained within 75 min. The developed photocatalytic membrane enables the use of sunlight hence a less costly method for decontamination of wastewater.

Evaluation of antimicrobial properties of conventional poly methyl methacrylate denture base resin materials containing silver doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles against cariogenic bacteria and candida albicans

The main aim of the study was to find the antimicrobial properties of a poly methyl methacrylate resin (PMMA) which is modified with silver-doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles. This research study was done to prove that the incorporation of silver-doped TiO2 nanoparticles improves the antimicrobial and antifungal properties.The poly methyl methacrylate resin (PMMA) powder was modified using 0 wt%(control) 1wt% and 3wt% silver doped TiO2 nanoparticles Test specimens were prepared of dimensions 5 mm × 5 mm × 2 mm. The antimicrobial properties of the specimens were evaluated by calculating CFU/ml. The obtained values were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Kruskal Wallis test, and post-hoc Tukey’s test at a significance level of 5%. The incorporation of silver-doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles into denture base resin improved antimicrobial activity. Compared to 1% and 3% nanoparticle doped, 3% has given better antimicrobial activity calculated using CFU/ml. It is reduced to one-fourth the microbial growth compared to the control group. The addition of silver-doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles to denture base resin is an effective method for antimicrobial and antifungal action.

Effect of annealing temperature on the bandgap of TiO2 and Fe- doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles for enhancement of UV shielding performance

Effect of annealing temperature on the bandgap of TiO2 and Fe- doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles for enhancement of UV shielding performance

Tinospora cordifolia and polyvinylpyrrolidone encapsulated dual doped Ni-Cu TiO2 emerging nanocatalyst for the removal of organic dyes from wastewater and its free radical assay activity

In this study, a microwave-assisted method was used to encapsulate dual doped nickel-copper titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (Ni-Cu TNPs) with polymer polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and plant Tinospora Cordifolia (TC). The catalytic efficiency of encapsulated TNPs was performed through photocatalytic activity against Methyl Orange (MO) and Methylene Blue (MB) dyes as considered as water pollutants released by textiles industries. Also, these encapsulated TNPs were incubated in scavenging activity to eliminate the free radicals 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The physicochemical properties of the encapsulated TNPs were analyzed using different characterization techniques. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD revealed that the encapsulated dual doped Ni-Cu TNPs had a tetragonal crystal lattice structure. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirms the spherical morphology of encapsulated dual doped Ni-Cu TNPs with an average particle size ranging from 33 to 41 nm. The bandgap of the encapsulated dual doped Ni-Cu TNPs was found to be between 3.47 and 3.54 eV. Under UV radiation, the photocatalytic activity was performed with using control experiment and using encapsulated dual doped Ni-Cu TNPs against MO and MB dyes. The rate of degradation reached up to 99% for both dyes on increasing with an increase in TNPs catalyst dosage. Also, the encapsulated dual doped Ni-Cu TNPs demonstrated antioxidant activity of up to 93% against the DPPH assay.

Catalytic efficiency of encapsulated coupled doped Zn-Ni TiO2 nanocatalyst for the removal of organic pollutants and free radical assay

ABSTRACT In this study, encapsulation of polymer polyvinylpyrrolidone and plant Tinospora cordifolia was done in coupled doped zinc-nickel titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (Zn-Ni TDNPs) via using microwave-assisted method with 2.45 GHz operating frequency and power of 700 Watts for about 120 s. The catalytic efficiency of encapsulated TDNPs was analysed through photocatalytic activity against methyl orange (MO) and methylene blue (MB) dyes, which are considered aquatic pollutants released by textiles dyes. Also, these encapsulated TDNPs were installed in scavenging activity to eliminate the free radicals 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. Various physicochemical properties of the encapsulated TDNPs were analysed using different characterisation techniques. The encapsulated TDNPs had a tetragonal crystal lattice structure, with an average particle size ranging from 68 to 83 nm and spheroidal morphology. The bandgap of the encapsulated coupled doped Zn-Ni TDNPs was found to be between 3.48 and 3.55 eV. Under UV radiation, the photocatalytic activity against MO and MB dyes increased with an increase in TDNPs catalyst dosage, and in rare cases, the rate of degradation reached up to 98% for both dyes. Additionally, the encapsulated coupled doped Zn-Ni TDNPs demonstrated antioxidant activity of up to 89% against the DPPH assay.

Synthesis and Structural Properties of Pure and Magnesium Doped Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles by Sol -Gel Method

Metals are able to form a large number of oxides. For this work , Pure Titanium dioxide nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by sol- gel method at room temperature using Titanium tetra isopropoxide and Isopropyl alcohol as a precursor. Same method was used to obtain Magnesium doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles using Titanium isopropoxide (TTIP) and glacial acetic acid used as stabilizing agent . The Mg doped TiO2 showed a mixed phase of anatase and rutile with an excellent crystallinity , morphology and consequent shifting of bandgap energy . The scope of present work is to synthesize the nanoparticles of pure and magnesium doped titanium dioxide in different concentration. Nanoparticles synthesized were characterized using X-Ray diffraction pattern (XRD) , Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) , UV-Visible spectroscopy (UV-VIS ) .

Removal of organic dyes and free radical assay by encapsulating polyvinylpyrrolidone and Tinospora Cordifolia in dual (Co–Cu) doped TiO2 nanoparticles

Aquatic pollution refers to any water that has been used and discarded in different water bodies by industrial and commercial activities which contains a wide range of toxic substances and required treatment so that water can be safely reused for various purposes. In present paper, polymer polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and plant Tinospora Cordifolia (T. Cordifolia) encapsulated dual doped cobalt-copper titanium dioxide nanoparticles (Co–Cu TNPs) has been synthesized via microwave-assisted method for the degradation aquatic pollutant dyes: Methyl Orange (MO) & Methylene Blue (MB). Using the encapsulated dual doped Co–Cu TNPs, free radical assays (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl: DPPH; Hydrogen peroxide: HP & Nitric oxide: NO) were also performed. Several physicochemical properties of encapsulated TNPs were examined using a variety of characterization techniques that helps in photocatalytic and antioxidant activity. The encapsulated TNPs exhibit tetragonal crystal lattice having average particles size between 25 and 38 nm with spherical shape morphology. The bandgap of encapsulated dual doped Co–Cu TNPs was found in the range of 3.25–3.29 eV. The binding of encapsulated dual doped Co–Cu TNPs were also calculated by using XPS which confirms the presence of dopants. The photocatalytic activity was performed with using control experiment and using encapsulated dual doped Co–Cu TNPs against MO and MB dyes. The results revealed that the degradation was observed up to 100% for the both MO and MB dyes. Also, antioxidant activity of encapsulated dual doped Co–Cu TNPs was observed against the DPPH, HO and NO assays.

Sunlight-Driven Photocatalytic Active Fabrics through Immobilization of Functionalized Doped Titania Nanoparticles.

Frequent washing of textiles poses a serious hazard to the ecosystem, owing to the discharge of harmful effluents and the release of microfibers. On one side, the harmful effluents from detergents are endangering marine biota, while on the other end, microplastics are observed even in breastfeeding milk. This work proposes the development of sunlight-driven cleaning and antibacterial comfort fabrics by immobilizing functionalized Zn-doped TiO2 nanoparticles. The research was implemented to limit the use of various detergents and chemicals for stain removal. A facile sol-gel method has opted for the fabrication of pristine and Zn-doped TiO2 nanoparticles at three different mole percentages of Zn. The nanoparticles were successfully functionalized and immobilized on cotton fabric using silane coupling agents via pad-dry-cure treatment. As-obtained fabrics were characterized by their surface morphologies, availability of chemical functionalities, and crystallinity. The sunlight-assisted degradation potential of as-functionalized fabrics was evaluated against selected pollutants (eight commercial dyes). The 95-98% degradation of dyes from the functionalized fabric surface was achieved within 3 h of sunlight exposure, estimated by color strength analysis with an equivalent exposition of bactericidal activities. The treated fabrics also preserved their comfort and mechanical properties. The radical trapping experiment was performed to confirm the key radicals responsible for dye degradation, and h+ ions were found to be the most influencing species. The reaction pathway followed the first order kinetic model with rate constant values of 0.0087 min-1 and 0.0131 min-1 for MB and MO dyes, respectively.

Physicochemical characterization and quantification of nanoplastics: applicability, limitations and complementarity of batch and fractionation methods

A comprehensive physicochemical characterization of heterogeneous nanoplastic (NPL) samples remains an analytical challenge requiring a combination of orthogonal measurement techniques to improve the accuracy and robustness of the results. Here, batch methods, including dynamic light scattering (DLS), nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), tunable resistive pulse sensing (TRPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), as well as separation/fractionation methods such as centrifugal liquid sedimentation (CLS) and field-flow fractionation (FFF)–multi-angle light scattering (MALS) combined with pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry (pyGC–MS) or Raman microspectroscopy (RM) were evaluated for NPL size, shape, and chemical composition measurements and for quantification. A set of representative/test particles of different chemical natures, including (i) polydisperse polyethylene (PE), (ii) (doped) polystyrene (PS) NPLs, (iii) titanium dioxide, and (iv) iron oxide nanoparticles (spherical and elongated), was used to assess the applicability and limitations of the selected methodologies. Particle sizes and number-based concentrations obtained by orthogonal batch methods (DLS, NTA, TRPS) were comparable for monodisperse spherical samples, while higher deviations were observed for polydisperse, agglomerated samples and for non-spherical particles, especially for light scattering methods. CLS and TRPS offer further insight with increased size resolution, while detailed morphological information can be derived by electron microscopy (EM)–based approaches. Combined techniques such as FFF coupled to MALS and RM can provide complementary information on physical and chemical properties by online measurements, while pyGC–MS analysis of FFF fractions can be used for the identification of polymer particles (vs. inorganic particles) and for their offline (semi)quantification. However, NPL analysis in complex samples will continue to present a serious challenge for the evaluated techniques without significant improvements in sample preparation.Graphical abstract

Comparative Evaluation of Antibacterial Efficacy of Two Bioceramic Root Canal Sealers Incorporated with Novel Silica Doped TiO2 Nanoparticles: An In-vitro Study

Introduction: The success of Root Canal Treatment (RCT), depends on the complete elimination of microorganisms in combination with complete root canal system closure. Complete elimination of bacteria cannot be done by cleaning and shaping alone from lateral canals, isthmuses, and apical deltas. Thus, root canal sealers with ideal physical, biological, and improved antimicrobial characteristics are thus, necessary to avoid reinfections. Aim: To evaluate the antibacterial efficacy of two Bioceramic (Bio-C) modified root canal sealers, using Silica Doped Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles (SiTiO2 ), a unique, extremely effective antibacterial agent on root canal dentin infected with Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis). Materials and Methods: This in-vitro study was conducted in the Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics in collaboration with the Department of Microbiology at Sree Sai Dental College and Research Institute, Andhra Pradesh, India. The study was done in August 2022. The antibacterial efficacy of the two Bio-C sealers was evaluated by counting Colony Forming Units (CFU) and the percentage of live bacteria by a confocal laser scanning microscope. A total of 60 middle thirds of single-rooted teeth incubated with E.faecalis were chosen. Gutta-percha (GP) was used to fill the canals along with sealers in all six groups (group I-VI), namely Mineral Trioxide Aggregate based (MTA Fillapex); MTA Fillapex+SiTiO2 NPs (1% wt); MTA Fillapex +2% wt SiTiO2 NPs; Bio-C; Bio-C+ 1% wt SiTiO2 NPs; Bio-C+ 2% wt SiTiO2 NPs respectively, and incubated for seven days, each tooth was divided into two halves longitudinally. Microbiological analysis was conducted on one half, and microscopic analysis on the other half. The six groups were compared using a one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and intergroup comparison with Tukey’s post-hoc tests. Results: The addition of SiTiO2 NPs to Bio-C and MTA Fillapex significantly reduced the bacteria, compared to an unmodified sealer (p-value<0.001). MTA Fillapex with SiTiO2 NPs showed higher bacterial viability compared with Bio-C with SiTiO2 NPs. Conclusion: Loading endodontic sealers with SiTiO2 NPs has a material-dependent impact on the antibacterial properties, that could lower the frequency of secondary infections.

Tantalum doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles for efficient photocatalytic degradation of dyes

In this work, the hydrothermal method was utilized for the facile synthesis of tantalum (Ta) doped titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles. A study of structural, morphological, and optical properties was conducted using various characterizations such as powder X-ray diffraction method (XRD), Raman analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) measurements, Ultraviolet-Visible diffusion reflection (UV–vis-DRS) spectroscopy. The structure of as-synthesized nanoparticles was analyzed by the XRD and their phase purity was confirmed with Raman analysis. The functional groups present in the samples were verified with Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra which showed bands that are characteristic of the titanium dioxide (Ti-O-Ti) bonds. Also, it shows the presence of the Ta-O-Ta bond which confirms the presence of tantalum in TiO2. The optical band gap of as-synthesized TiO2 was slightly reduced when doped with tantalum. The morphology and nature of the samples were confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The photocatalytic activity of the pure TiO2 and Ta-doped TiO2 was investigated by using Rhodamine B (Rh B) and Methylene Blue (MB) dyes and were confirmed with the first-order kinetics. The synthesized nanoparticles were used for the degradation of the Rh B and MB dyes under ultraviolet light irradiation for 120 minutes. Ta-doped TiO2 nanomaterials, remarkably Ta with 3 wt.% showed enhanced photocatalytic dye degradation when compared with as-synthesized TiO2.

Nanoarchitectonics of La-Doped Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles for Optical and Antibacterial Properties

Pure and La-doped titania nanoparticles are prepared by the chemical precipitation method. The stoichiometry of prepared samples is confirmed by EDAX whereas XRD analysis showed rutile tetragonal phase of synthesized pure TiO2 and La (2%, 4%, 6% and 8%)-doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles. The crystallite size of all samples lies below 50[Formula: see text]nm as calculated from XRD. All the samples show cuboid/ellipsoidal polyhedral kind of morphologies of nanoparticles except La 2% TiO2 which exhibits nanoflex morphology as seen in TEM images. Raman spectra recorded from low temperature to room temperature have shown [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] fundamental modes supporting the rutile tetragonal structure as reported in XRD. The absorption edge in the UV-Visible spectra of doped samples is shifted towards higher values of wavelength with increase of La in TiO2. Photoluminescence spectra at various excitation energies showed the changes in PL intensity as La content is increased. Photocatalytic activity for the constant time interval for pure TiO2 shows better photodegradation efficiency in comparison to the La-doped TiO2. Antibacterial activity of pure TiO2 is seen to be improved with La doping of 8%-doped TiO2 nanoparticles.

TiO2 Nanoparticles as Bifunctional Adsorbent/Photocatalyst for Degradation of Effluent from Local Dairy in Telangana

Contamination of precious life sources with industrial waste including dairy effluent is an increasing concern worldwide. Over the past few years, titanium dioxide nanoparticles have drawn worldwide attention as an efficient photocatalyst and adsorbent for wastewater treatment. The current study refers to the potential of nitrogen doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles as an adsorbent and photocatalyst to purify wastewater from the local dairy to meet the quality of wastewater discharged into public sewers. The Nitrogen doped titanium dioxide (TiO2) Nano Materials were prepared by sol-gel technique and calcined at various temperatures. Characterization techniques such as SEM, XRD and FTIR were performed and Zeta potential was estimated. Efficiency of degradation as applied to dairy effluent has been examined varying the parameters such as time of exposure and dose of nanoparticles along with solution pH variation monitored during study. A good reduction in COD of about 99 % was observed after treatment under visible light. It is observed that calcining temperature affects activity of TiO2 nano particles. Furthermore, statistical analysis that represent experimental response as a function of independent parameters as well as analyse the interaction between the parameters was successfully employed. The results showed that TiO2 nanoparticles can be employed as adsorbents for the treatment of dairy waste water. Keywords: Adsorbent, Chemical oxygen demand, Dairy effluent, Doping, nanoparticles, TiO2

Synthesis and Characterization of Iron Doped Titanium Dioxide (Fe: TiO2) Nanoprecipitate at Different pH Values for Applications of Self-Cleaning Materials

Fe:TiO2 nano particles were deposited through sol-gel techniques, and the influence of pH values on structural, morphological, optical, and photoluminescence spectral behaviors was studied. Iron doped titanium dioxide nanopowders were analyzed using XRD, SEM, UV–ViS, and PL. Nano crystallized samples of titanium dioxide (72 nm, 77 nm, 78 nm, and 83 nm) were gained from X-Ray diffraction data and showed that there was the creation of unalloyed anatase and ructile segment with tetragonal configuration. The average crystal size was 77.5 nm. pH values provide the alteration of segments from anatase to ructile. The crystal size of prepared iron doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles was greater than before as pH value rises from 2 to 6 while FWHM and scrap sizes declined. Homogeneously disseminated cylindrical forms of iron doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles were perceived from scanning electron microscope graphics and rises in size with growing pH values from 2 to 6 in an acidic medium. Extremely translucent nanopowders are witnessed in the observable region by visible and redshifts near advanced wavelengths with rising pH values because of an increase in the size of particles from XRD data and SEM micrographs. The band gap of energy produced by nano concentrates was reduced with growing pH values that resemble the redshift of optical absorption superiority. The structural behaviors of deposited nanoparticles were also analyzed by Raman spectra and disclosed the existence of tetragonal anatase and ructile segments. EDS results confirmed that the dopant of pH values of the solutions might affect the size distributions of the Fe: TiO2 nanoparticles. The general decrement intensity was witnessed from photoluminescence outcomes.

Self-synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles-pH-mediated dispersive solid phase extraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography for the determination of quinolones in biological matrices

A simple and efficient pH-mediated dispersive solid phase extraction (dSPE) based on terbium doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2-Tb NPs) combined with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been firstly developed for the determination of quinolones (QNs) in various biological samples. The adsorption kinetics and isotherms were investigated to indicate that the kinetic and equilibrium adsorption were well-described by pseudo-second order kinetic and Henry, Langmuir isotherm model, respectively. The parameters influencing the extraction performance were systematically investigated. The QNs are transferred into TiO2-Tb NPs in the first step at pH = 6.0 and eluted into acidic aqueous phase at pH = 2.5 in the second step. Under the optimum extraction and determination conditions, a linearity range with the coefficient of determination (R 2) from 0.9977 to 0.9991 were obtained in a range of 10–10,000 ng mL−1. The limits of detection (LODs) based on a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 were 3.3 ng mL−1. The recoveries of the three QNs in human urine, rabbit plasma and serum samples ranged from 69.3% to 117.6%, with standard deviations ranging from 2.4% to 9.9%. Therefore, this pH-mediated dSPE-HPLC method exhibited the advantages of remarkable sensitivity, ease of operation, rapidity, low cost and environmental friendliness.

Structural diversity in transition metal-doped titanium oxo-alkoxy complexes: Potential sol-gel intermediates for doped titania nanoparticles and complex titanates

Since the discovery of its photocatalytic properties, titanium dioxide has remained one of the most popular and widely used metal oxide photocatalysts. Its major drawback, however, lies in the narrow region (UV) of sunlight necessary to produce reactive oxygen species. This have been countered by sensitizing with organic dyes to red-shift the absorption spectrum but also with doping of other metals and non-metals. Volume doping or surface modification have demonstrated improved photocatalytic efficiency, mainly via red-shifted absorption by introduction of intermediate energy states between the valence band (VB) and conduction band (CB) and increased number of surface hydroxyl groups (which can form reactive hydroxyl radicals) from charge compensation, and in some cases by improved surface-adsorption of organic molecules. Doped titania and complex titanates have traditionally been produced via, for instance, co-precipitation of mixed metal salts or via solid-state synthesis. While these methods usually are simple, they offer limited control over size, shape, and phase composition. An alternative is the use of single-source precursors (SSPs), i.e., molecules already containing the desired metal ratio in a homogenous distribution. The last one or two decades have seen an increased number of reported transition metal-doped titanium oxo-alkoxides (TOA), particularly for the first-row transition metals as potential single-source precursors (SSP) for doped titania and complex titanates. This review aims at providing an overview of TM-doped TOAs, focusing on first and second row TM elements, with special emphasis on their synthesis, photochemical properties, and their applications as SSPs.Graphical abstract

Leachate post treatment, using Ag-TiO2 nanoparticles immobilized on rotating vanes

The current study investigated the capability of Ag-TiO2 nanoparticles in photocatalytic landfill leachate post-treatment. Silver doped Titanium dioxide nanoparticles were coated on rotating vanes and used in an immobilized photoreactor for the first time. The system's efficiency in COD, color, turbidity, and TOC removal, was monitored, and the effect of different parameters including pH, coating surface area, and concentration of immobilized nanoparticles was investigated. Based on the results, the maximum COD, color, turbidity, and TOC removal rates were 62%, 66%, 53%, and 55%, respectively, after 4 h of irradiation under optimal conditions. Experimental data on COD removal were also compared with the first and second-order kinetic models and it was concluded that the degradation process is more compatible with the second-order model. Finally, vanes' durability was tested, and according to the results, each set of vanes was capable of being used for at least six consecutive cycles with a negligible decrease in the treatment efficiency. In comparison with pure TiO2, the synthesized Ag-TiO2 nanoparticles showed higher removal rates in equivalent time intervals, and the whole system proved to be a promising post-treatment approach.

Functional finishing of woven fabric with reduced graphene oxide nanosheets decorated with Ag-N doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles

An innovative approach has been made to impart self-cleaning and antibacterial properties to woven fabrics. Reduced graphene oxide/Ag-N TiO2 nanocomposites are successfully prepared by simple mixing and sonication for finishing of woven fabric with prepared nanocomposites. The physiochemical properties of prepared samples are analysed by X-ray diffraction, UV-Visible spectroscopy, Field emission scanning electron microscope and Fourier transform infrared radiation spectroscopy. The prepared nanocomposite (rGO/ 1% Ag-N TiO2) shows lower bandgap of 2.3 eV as compared to individual nanomaterials, and hence the improved photocatalytic performance, leading to high self-cleaning and antibacterial activity.

Cu2AgInS4 quantum dot sensitized zinc doped Titania nanoparticles film as the high efficient photoanode for photovoltaic cells

In this work, Cu, Ag, In, and S based qu aternary quantum dots (Cu2AgInS4 QDs) were synthesized by a hot-injection method, and Zinc doped (0, 1, and 2 wt%) Titania nanoparticles (Zn-TiO2 NPs) were synthesized by a sol-gel method. The synthesized QDs were anchored onto Zn-TiO2 NPs film through a linker-based assembly method to form Cu2AgInS4 QDs/Zn-TiO2 NPs to use as the photoanodes for Quantum dot sensitized solar cells (QDSCs). The physio-chemical behavior of the Cu2AgInS4 QDs, Zn-TiO2 NPs, and Cu2AgInS4 QDs/Zn-TiO2 photoanodes was examined by various spectroscopic analyses. Optical analysis of the fabricated photoanodes revealed that Cu2AgInS4 QDs/Zn-TiO2 NPs photoanode has a high redshift of light absorbance than Zn-TiO2 NPs. Moreover, due to the proper band alignment of Cu2AgInS4 QDs and 2 wt% Zn-TiO2 NPs, Cu2AgInS4 QDs/Zn-TiO2 NPs has high electron transfer ability than Cu2AgInS4 QDs/TiO2 NPs. On the other hand, the electrochemical impedance analysis confirms that Cu2AgInS4 QDs/Zn-TiO2 photoanode has lower charge transfer resistance (9.53 Ω) with high photocatalytic behavior than that of Cu2AgInS4 QDs/ TiO2 NPs as the photoanode. Hence Cu2AgInS4 QDs/Zn-TiO2 NPs photoanode based QDSC shows 36% improvement in the photoconversion efficiency (5.43%) than that of Cu2AgInS4 QDs/TiO2 NPs (3.92%) based QDSC.